From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jul 3 20:06:00 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6405xm04197; Thu, 3 Jul 2003 20:06:00 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 20:06:00 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307040006.h6405xm04197@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #551 TELECOM Digest Thu, 3 Jul 2003 20:06:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 551 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (Ed Gibbs) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (SayNoToCros) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (G Breuckman) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (Geoff Welsh) Re: Telephone History From Another Newsgroup (William Warren) Re: Two Longs and a Short (John Beaman) Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? (Jim Hopkins) Re: The Many Paradoxes of Broadband (Dave Smith) Re: Voice Over IP For the Home User - Prices Drop! (John Bartley) Re: Voice Over IP For the Home User - Prices Drop! (Rovilio Rangas) Vonage/Cisco ATA - Incoming Calls (Pierrot) Re: Virtual Long Distance Telecommunication Facility Tour (Walt Howard) Re: U.S. Weighs Suspending WorldCom Contracts (Justin Time) Scamming Spammer Agrees to Repay Victims (Justin Time) Looking For Radio Shack Duofone System 411 Phones Help? (Darren Kizer) Re: Joy! - Usenet SPAMMER Finally Identified!!! (JDS) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: egibbs@my-deja.com (Ed Gibbs) Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: 3 Jul 2003 04:36:42 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Quite honestly, Ed, most people do not > have a clue what to do, as I am sure you know. You pushed this much > further than most people would even bother with. PAT] Well, I seem to have stumbled on a procedure that works for correcting MCI billing issues -- file a complaint with the FCC, file a complaint with the MCI Ethics Officer, threaten a PUC complaint, and mention that there may be SEC issues involved as well. That seemed to cause someone in authority to have a bad enough day that their interests aligned with mine in wanting to make it go away. That's probably *NOT* the procedure that MCI would want to have the majority of their mis-billed customers follow, but it worked in this case. The Ethics Officer is a good point of contact to remember for future use when someone in a company does something you believe to be unethical or illegal. First, they are what is known as a "Jailable Company Official." That means their personal liberty is on the line if they are made aware that the company may have done something wrong and they don't investigate and correct it. Second, they usually have to report ethics complaints and their resolution to both top management and outside auditors, at least in summary form. Third, their communica- tions are pretty tightly controlled and recorded; they can't just delete your email unread, they need to respond and their response will be recorded and available to auditors. At any rate, it appears that there are honest and decent people working for MCI; you just have to try hard to find them. ------------------------------ From: SayNoToCrossposters Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Organization: Comcast Online Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 12:25:56 GMT Dave Phelps wrote in message news:telecom22.550.8@telecom-digest.org... > In article , TELECOM Digest Editor > noted in response to egibbs@my-deja.com: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Lisa's mother uses the same lawyer >> as I have consulted in the past. Lawyer does say the fastest way to >> conclude this matter is to send a check to MCI for the amount >> suggested by the Billing Department (was it $7.53 ?) with the check >> plainly marked, 'payment in full and complete satisfaction of any >> indebtedness', and to make sure they cannot later appeal that by >> saying checks are run automatically without reading them through a >> central remittance processing place with no authority to resolve >> anything, DO NOT mail the check to the specified remittance post >> office box. Be certain the check is in the proper context to avoid >> that excuse by MCI. Mail it by certified mail (so YOU get back the >> green card proof later on) to one of the responsible employees >> there (ethics officer, agency supervisor whose name you tried to >> reach, etc.) Include abridged copies of your file to date. If they >> then cash that check you have proof in full of your intentions, >> etc. That, says lawyer, will fulfill your obligations. I would add >> to that, afterward then go wash your hands and use some strong >> mouthwash to get rid of the bad taste and the filth on your hands. >> PAT] > I was under the impression that a check cannot legally contain a > binding contract, with cashing it equivalent to an agreement to the > contract. > I actually get these all the time from AT&T usually, but I've never > actually tried to cash one. I probably should, after putting a PIC and > 2PIC lock on my account. > Dave Phelps > DD Networks > www.ddnets.com > deadspam=tippenring Actually a check in and in itself IS a binding contract. Notice the way the long distance carriers make you endorse the checks they put in the mail ... that is one way they bind you into a contract. ------------------------------ From: Gary Breuckman Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 23:20:26 -0500 Organization: Puma's Lair - catbox.com In article , Dave Phelps wrote: > I actually get these all the time from AT&T usually, but I've never > actually tried to cash one. I probably should, after putting a PIC and > 2PIC lock on my account. Doesn't work with MCI :( My two lines had PIC locks on them, MCI tried to grab the lines and bill me anyway, even though they were never connected to them and were not supplying any services. After (I thought) I had all that straightened out, six months later they billed me again. They explained, "we never got a disconnect notice from your telco." I said, "that's because you were never connected in the first place." Grumble ... -- Gary Breuckman ------------------------------ From: Geoffrey Welsh Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 12:52:47 -0400 Organization: Bell Sympatico Ed Gibbs wrote: > First, I got an email response from MCI's Chief Ethics Officer (how'd > you like to have THAT on your resume?). It's debatable as to whether it's a step up or down from his last position as Iraqi Information Minister. Among other things, I steer telcom for the company that employs me and I have avoided doing business with MCI in our U.S. offices primarily because of the stories I've read here. I can't help but wonder whather MCI realizes the damage that it does to itself when it treats customers this way -- are there really an infinite number of suckers^h^h^h^h^h^h^hfuture customers to keep them in business?!? Geoffrey Welsh This address is not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Unsolicited bulk mail is spam, no matter what regulations (real or imagined) it complies with! FIGHT SPAM AND SCAMS: DISCONNECT CHINA FROM THE INTERNET! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 09:33:51 -0400 From: William Warren Subject: Re: Telephone History From Another Newsgroup Julian Thomas wrote: > Charles Richmond wrote: >> If you are careful and remember how fast the clicking went by >> when you dialed a phone, you could "dial" the entire number with >> the switch hook ... [snip] This was the standard defense against the fools who paid good money to "lock" the dial on their telephones, using one of those cheesey "locks" that they sold at Radio Shack. The trick was to keep the pulses evenly paced: the exchange would count them correctly, even as slow as 6 PPS, if they were consistent.Of course, some pheepers would simply pound out ten pulses and tell the operator they had manual service, but I thought that was cheeting. I remember a debate I once had with an MIT graduate student, about whether it was more efficient to pick (and discard) the lock, thus saving further effort, or to use the switchhook, thus preventing the phone's owner taking action until the bill arrived. We compromised, and agreed that using MITRE's open trunks was the most effective "real world" solution, despite the long-term effect on Federal taxation rates: I had argued that putting a "T" on the campus pay phones was preferable, but he convinced me that the risk/reward ratio didn't favor poor students. Bill P.S. I think one of the "mistakes" you're refering to was that the operator didn't dial "rate&route". The other is that she exceeded the "number of links in tandem" rule. Also, every step office I worked in would simply reset on pulse 11, since customers would sometimes abandon a call just after dialing operator. Do I win a prize? William Warren (Remove ".notme" from my address if you want to email me) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have no prizes to give away. Regards (1) 'rate & route' the originating operator may have had the info in a flip chart at her disposal and she was looking in there (doubtful), or maybe she did call 'rate & route' (in those days at least) it was 815 plus 161 [which translated to Morris, IL where the Rate & Route Bureau was located] but she chose to split the connection while talking to her [leaving her customer in silence] but that is also, IMO, doubtful. Most operators chatted with Rate & Route on an open line; they did not care if the susbscriber overheard them or not; I imagine the caller would have heard rate & route inform the operator on the 'mark sense' on the paper ticket; ticket would have been marked 'other place' and the original story writer would have heard that commentary and probably included it in his account. For (2), 'links in tandem': We were told Philadelphia operator 'dialed' Cleveland, then Chicago, then Minneapolis in that order and then onward. That might have been true in the 1930's era (that many links -- not the 'dialing' part) but by 1950 the long distance network was sufficiently put together so the Philadelphia operator would have most likely did a 'long haul' from Philly to Chicago (at least) if not to Minneapolis. I dunno about all the wee-tiny places further down the line. If she 'dialed' those places [for example, Cleveland is 216 plus 121 for 'inward', etc] then the number of links thing is not quite accurate. It would been more 'long haul'. If the number of links in the chain required was accurate and the sailor was off in his recollection of the year (maybe twenty years earlier) then the statement about operator 'dialed' Cleveland, then 'dialed' Chicago, etc would have been wrong. Philly would not have 'dialed' anything, she would have plugged in on the board to a long-lines circuit which in turn lighted a jack in the next city in the chain. Maybe the author of this story was getting parts of two different eras mixed up. Let us assume the story was *intended to be* the early 1950's era. For (3): In the 1950's era, even the tiniest of manually serviced towns had precise phone numbers. 'Two longs and a short' would have not been valid anytime as a 'phone number' from the middle-late 1920's onward. There would have been some legitimate two, three or four digit number in any small town in the 1950's. It could have been (most likely was) a party line such as the form (number)-J or (number)-R but there would have been *some number*. The proper ringing cadence may have been two longs and a short, but that is not important. Even in the early television series with Andy Griffith and Ronnie Howard about the sheriff of the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina where the folksy telephone operator connected everyone by name, there was that one show where the operator decided to 'play by the rules' and require an actual telephone number to make a connection. Do you remember it? The phone number for the "sheriff's office in the courthouse" was number '309' as Ronnie Howard had to tell her one day when calling his 'father' the Sheriff at his office. For (4): If the story was invented in the middle 1980's as I suspect by someone who got his eras in telephony mixed up, then his report of Philadelphia's arrogant and snotty (yet courteous, polite) attitude toward the subscriber and the small town operator in Columbia would have been correct *for that era*. By 1980 there had been sufficient networking and 'modernization' in bigger cities like Philadelphia, that the small town operators were getting, well, sick of the attitudes of operators in bigger cities. As Lily Tomlin explained it in one of her routines, "you knew things in the world were starting to go to hell the day they started hiring racially diverse ladies to work down at the telephone company." (Lily did not say 'racially diverse', I think her term was 'colored ladies'). At any event, during the civil unrest of the 1960's as Bell worked frantically to clean their own houses and into the 1970's as they began to 'get with the times' and employ black ladies as operators, there were many, many older ladies in small towns who had been operators from before their sisters in large cities had even been born; certainly they had been operators when *everything* was manual service which the younger racially diverse ladies had known nothing about. So as many of the younger, often times racially diverse operators in large cities would handle their customer subscribers, the small town operators (overwhelmingly white, God Fearing Baptist Church ladies) would cringe on hearing their big city sisters handling calls inbound to them there in small town USA. A Traffic Department GCO (Group Chief Operator) said to me once, several years ago, "Would you believe the company used to make everyone (operators, customer service people, *everyone*) go through at least 6-8 weeks of intensive training before *anyone* was ever allowed to answer phones at Bell or work with or respond to customers (such as an operator)." That's a bygone era now ... even in 1980. Lily Tomlin was not too far off in her assessment of life, neither was our story teller in describing Philadelphia's tense attitude versus Columbia's more 'laid back' way of doing things. Very 1980-ish. The entire story was 1980-ish. A lot like me, right Joey? For (5): Columbia says to Philadelphia: "Don't worry about it, *I* will just charge the call to their house". Uh, uh. Inward operators (which Columbia would have been in this context) did not charge anybody for anything. They did not write up tickets. All they did was plug in on their boards. *Originating* operators wrote up the tickets either as 'paid', 'collect' or 'third-party' or 'coin'. Philly was tense because she thought the 'company' was going to get cheated; Columbia knew better, as small town operators always did. *Assuming* that Philly got the ticket made up correctly, and got it into the billing system correctly, then Bob Pence would have gotten charged for the call, even if the routine or routing was not quite like Philadelphia had been taught. A very interesting story, but for those (1 through 5) points which cast some doubts on the whole thing. Probably mostly true, given how 'non-telco people' try to explain telco history to the rest of us. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 08:38:37 -0500 From: John Beaman Subject: Re: Two Longs and a Short Pat, What an amusing story. It was slightly before my time, but as a former resident of Bath, South Dakota, I bet I am the only one on this mailing list who's been to Columbia. I have cousins who live there. As small as Columbia is (one bank, one bar, post office, school), Bath is even smaller. Currently, all Bath has is the post office. You know a town is small if they don't have a bar. John Beaman Telecom Specialist Voice Telecommunications Services Department. Good Samaritan National Campus 605-362-3331 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You are correct. Even Liberty, Kansas and Dearing, Kansas (two rural towns that are 'suburbs' of 'big city Independence') each have one bar even though their combined population is less than 500 people. I guess they have those two road houses on the highway since people coming from Coffeyville north to Independence may get thirsty on the way. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Jim Hopkins Subject: Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 21:02:21 GMT What you're probably talking about is the waveguide research done at Bell Labs and other places from the 1930's up until about 1975. Several different systems were developed that showed great promise for long-distance, extremely broad bandwith transmission systems. This use of waveguide basically had a piece of waveguide all the way between two terminals - cities, if you want to look at it that way - with possibly some repeater stations in the middle. By the 1970's, though, fiber optic systems were being developed that matched or exceeded the bandwidth of waveguide systems and were easier to install and maintain, and more reliable. So it was fiber, not coaxial cable, that replaced waveguide. The other posters who responded that waveguide wasn't obsolete were undoubtedly speaking about its use as a transmission line between a microwave transmitter or receiver and an antenna. And in that case, they're absolutely correct. It's not obsolete and there's no way that coax could replace it. Jim amr wrote in message news:telecom22.549.2@telecom-digest.org: > I heard that Waveguide became obsolete, and coaxial replaced it. > Is that right? > What is the limitation for that? ------------------------------ From: Dave Smith Subject: Re: The Many Paradoxes of Broadband Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 23:52:59 -0400 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Reply-To: dave.smith@devnull.gov In most cases, we are only turning on DSL where we have competition from cable modems and we don't want to lose market share. Most areas are DSL ready but will be kept off until we get laws passed that will prevent those ISP leeches from offering DSL over our infrastructure. Monty Solomon wrote: > Andrew Odlyzko > Digital Technology Center, University of Minnesota, > Preliminary version, June 27, 2003 > Abstract. There is much dismay and even despair over the slow pace > at which broadband is advancing in the United States. This slow pace > is often claimed to be fatally retarding the recovery of the entire IT > industry. As a result there are increasing calls for government action, > through regulation or even through outright subsidies. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'ISP Leach'? Are you speaking about companies like AOL which although an ISP, also resells broadband to its customers? Or companies like TerraWorld, which is an ISP and also resells SBC broadband, but has to give the (broadband) customer up in order to convert the customer over to Prairie Stream for telco since SBC flatly refuses to allow any 'competitor' phone companies to have access to their DSL features? Just curious who you feel are the leaches. PAT] ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: Re: Voice Over IP For the Home User - Prices Drop! Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 15:38:48 GMT On 1 Jul 2003 11:30:14 -0700, randy@rcisys.ne.client2.attbi.com (Randy) wrote: > This is just an FYI: > As of July 1, 2003, the monthly cost of phone service with > www.packet8.net was lowered! > > They now offer unlimited PSTN use for $20.00 a month! My wife uses > this phone service to call her friends out-of-state for no additional > charge at all! We picked a number local to our friends in Florida... > They call the local number and we get the call, over 1,000 miles away! > I like to test out the new technology (when it is affordable to me) > and I can tell you, this is a pretty cool little thing. I have seen > reviews here for Vonage and others. So, I wanted to share what I > found so others can check it out. > I liked this one because of the low startup rate, easy use and the > hardware is given to you once you sign up! > Anyhow, decide for yourself. > If you try it out, enter coupon code RCI and get $20 off of the > startup costs! So, I asked a few questions by e-mail to packet8.net, and got this reply: ------------------------------- Hello John, Our website needs updating. See comments below. > 1. Your web site offers "Free- Desktop terminal adapter with select > plans" but those plans are not specified. Which plans get the free TA? All Plans come with a free DTA!!! > 2. How do we feed dial tone and ring current to other phones in the > house? We can disconnect the ILEC's wiring at the external demarc. I wouldn't recommend doing that. P8 works as a second phone line. Until we support 911 and FAX, keep your primary carrier, just eliminate their Long Distance Service. Packet8 does work with cordless phones w/multiple base stations. > 3. Is number portability available? We have a number in the 503-NNX > exchange we would like transferred to this service. That's in CLLI PTLDOR69DS1 in the Portland switches on SW Stark, downtown Portland. Currently, we do not support number portability. > Thank you. (Thank you for your inquiry) Packet8 Customer Support 888-898-8733 Having free LD with our celfons, I don't think we're going to subscribe. Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. ------------------------------ From: rovilio_rangas@yahoo.com (Rovilio Rangas) Subject: Re: Voice Over IP For the Home User - Prices Drop! Date: 2 Jul 2003 21:48:19 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I've tried making calls with both Packet8 and Vonage and think Packet8 is the better deal. If you enter 'STAR' as the coupon code when you sign up at www.packet8.net you will save $20 on signup. ------------------------------ From: pierrot@verizon.net (Pierrot) Subject: Vonage/Cisco ATA - Incoming Calls Date: 3 Jul 2003 13:41:40 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Consumer Reports (June 2003) says that during one of their test trials approximately 25% of incoming calls rang busy while calling a Vonage/Cisco ATA phone, even though the line was available. On the second attempt most of the calls went through. Have you heard this before ? Was it due to the DSL/Cable ISP used ? Pierre [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We have gone through this before here, in recent days. What does the magazine mean by 'rang busy'?. That phrase to me implies the caller hears a 'busy signal'. I have never heard a 'busy signal' on my Vonage phone. A couple times my incoming calls were transferred (inappropriatly, I thought) to Voicemail. But I always later on got the voicemail messages. For my money, I still think Vonage is a good deal. Anyone who wants to try out Vonage for a month of free service (the *second month* is the 'free month') can send me email and ask for an e-coupon. Send me email marked 'not for pub' and ask for a test drive on Vonage. PAT] ------------------------------ From: howard@rumba.ee.ualberta.ca (Walt Howard) Subject: Re: Virtual Long Distance Telecommunication Facility Tour Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 05:43:57 +0000 (UTC) Organization: A poorly-installed InterNetNews site In article , KiloDelate wrote: > In article , palee@riteaid.com > says: >> A electronic (stroboscopic) flash is accompanied by static discharge >> and a miniscule electromagnetic pulse [EMP]. Theoretically, it's >> possible to disrupt electronics with either of these phenomena. > Do you think the upcoming generation of white LED's might solve this > problem? They're relatively low current devices and bright as all > hell. Coupled with a UV filter it would eliminate the need to shield > EPROM's etc. No. I don't have the numbers handy, but the light put out by a flashbulb or electronic flash in a millisecond or two is orders of magnitude greater than that put out by the best of the LEDs in the same time. LEDs aren't quite ready yet to replace photofloods, which are used in several-second-exposure-time photography, although that might be partly a problem with the spectrum of their light. LEDs have higher efficiency than standard incandescent lights, but not better than arc lights, strobes, or flashbulbs. To get them as bright as flashbulbs, they'll have to work miracles in getting the heat out of their tiny selves. I don't think they put out enough UV to worry about. Ob telecom: The LEDs aren't bright enough for optical long-lines either. Laser diodes are used, although for reasons in addition to brightness. Walt Howard /"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign InterNet: whoward@ieee.org \ / No HTML or M$Word in mail or news! BellNet: +1 780 492 7262 X / \ ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: U.S. Weighs Suspending WorldCom Contracts Date: 3 Jul 2003 05:45:55 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ OneNetNut wrote in message news:: > Chuckle. The problem these yahoos keep forgetting is that there are > very few carriers out there with the network coverage and bandwidth in > place to offer the kinds of services the government needs. So lets > say they decide to kick WorldCon out. Who do they propose to take > over the stuff they are doing? The contracts they are probably referring to would be the FTS2001 contracts. MCI replaced AT&T as the second carrier on the network. The other carrier, the "B" carrier on the FTS2000 contract, is Sprint. Recently some changes have been made and now Qwest is offering data services, but I haven't been monitoring this particular contract vehicle for quite a while so I'm not up to speed on all the changes and carriers that are authorized to offer services under this government-wide contract. Rodgers Platt ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Scamming Spammer Agrees to Repay Victims Date: 3 Jul 2003 05:54:49 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ WASHINGTON (AP) - An e-mail spam operation that promised people cash for stuffing envelopes at home will refund more than $200,000 to settle federal charges that it deceived consumers, regulators said Wednesday. The Federal Trade Commission had accused the operation of using spam to sell consumers letters and pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelopes for a $40 fee. The operation told consumers they would earn $2 for every envelope stuffed, but people who paid the fee did not receive envelopes. Consumers who paid for the business opportunity with Stuffingforcash.com Inc., Sound Publications Inc. or Mailmax Inc., but did not receive the promised supplies or income, can file for a refund online by using a complaint form at www.ftc.gov, the FTC said. Consumers will be required to provide proof they were victims. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6226220.htm Rodgers Platt ------------------------------ From: Darren Kizer Subject: Looking For Radio Shack Duofone System 411 Phones Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 13:58:03 -0400 I need Radio Shack Duofone System 411 phones new or used. Darren ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Joy! - Usenet SPAMMER Finally Identified!!! From: JDS Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 20:28:04 GMT One should be careful about acting on information like this. Surely a spammer would not hesitate to add identity theft to his list of sins. Anyway, see http://www.rahul.net/falk/Rep/ for more info. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. 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His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #551 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Jul 5 00:28:43 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h654Shn12033; Sat, 5 Jul 2003 00:28:43 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 00:28:43 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307050428.h654Shn12033@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #552 TELECOM Digest Sat, 5 Jul 2003 00:28:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 552 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter EPIC Alert 10.14 (Monty Solomon) What's So Great About Satellite Radio? (Monty Solomon) What's on HDTV? (Monty Solomon) USA vrs Microsoft - Status Report on Microsoft's Compliance (M Solomon) FCC-Mobile Telcos Can't Delay Customer Switching (Monty Solomon) Liberty Media Buys QVC From Comcast (Monty Solomon) A Chat Room Like No Other (Monty Solomon) A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Critics (Monty Solomon) Spam Wars (Monty Solomon) FCC Rules on LNP Issues (Joseph) Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? (Dana) Re: Telephone History From Another Newsgroup (Julian Thomas) Re: The Many Paradoxes of Broadband (Dave Smith) Re: NEC Unveils Methanol-Fueled Laptop (Tom Betz) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Tom Betz) PIC/2PIC Freeze was Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Dialaround (Reader) "The Internet, Another Innovative Product From Microsoft ..." (Joe) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (J Lindstrom) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 22:45:27 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EPIC Alert 10.14 ======================================================================= E P I C A l e r t ======================================================================= Volume 10.14 July 3, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_10.14.html ====================================================================== Table of Contents ====================================================================== [1] High Court Upholds Library Filtering, Strikes Down Sodomy Ban [2] EPIC Urges Opt-In for FCRA Affiliate Sharing [3] National "Do-Not-Call" Telemarketing Registry Launches [4] ICANN Discusses WHOIS and New Top-Level Domains [5] Recent Reports: Video Surveillance; Internet Privacy Policies [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: "Emma Goldman: Made for America" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_10.14.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 22:49:02 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: What's So Great About Satellite Radio? We went to four programmers from XM and four from Sirius and asked them. By Michael Gaughn We went to four programmers from XM and four from Sirius and asked them the same question: With listeners able to choose between things like CD megachangers, digital music servers, DVD music videos, and traditional radio, what does satellite radio have to offer? The programmers showed such passion and dedication in their responses that we decided to publish extended versions of their interviews online. http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=2&article_id=455 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 22:53:07 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: What's on HDTV? And Where to Get It By Michael Antonoff With the number of high-definition TV programs increasing, the price of high-def sets plummeting, and shows now available over the air, by satellite, and through cable, 2003 is shaping up to be HDTV's breakthrough year. To help you take the HDTV plunge, we've put together this guide to programming on network TV, cable, and satellite, plus a listing of local broadcast channels and cable systems around the country. http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=2&article_id=446 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 23:01:14 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: U.S. v. Microsoft - Joint Status Report on Microsoft's Compliance http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/microsoft/usms70303statrpt.pdf ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 23:13:59 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: FCC-Mobile Telcos Can't Delay Customer Switching WASHINGTON, July 3 (Reuters) - U.S. mobile telephone companies cannot hold up customers from switching carriers and keeping their telephone number even if they still owe money on their bills, U.S. communications regulators said on Thursday. To promote competition, the Federal Communications Commission last year ordered carriers to allow customers to switch but keep their number starting Nov. 24, 2003. But the industry demanded the agency address several issues to avoid potential chaos in the process. The agency said on Thursday carriers like Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ)(LSE:VOD) and Sprint PCS (NYSE:PCS) will have to process the transfer of a customer and telephone number when a valid request is made even if accounts or fees are due. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34734191 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 23:15:32 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Liberty Media Buys QVC From Comcast By BILL BERGSTROM AP Business Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Liberty Media Corp. has agreed to buy Comcast's majority stake in the lucrative shopping channel QVC for $7.9 billion, the companies said Thursday. Liberty, which already owns 42 percent of the electronic shopping service that reaches more than 85 million U.S. homes, told Comcast in March that it wanted to end the joint ownership and negotiate a sale to one party or the other. Comcast executives sharpened their pencils to decide whether to sell their 57 percent stake in QVC, a major revenue producer for the nation's largest cable company, said Brian L. Roberts, president and chief executive officer. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34738954 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 22:13:55 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Chat Room Like No Other How to assume a 3-D online identity that lets you put on a happy-or angry-face By Steven Johnson DISCOVER Vol. 24 No. 7 (July 2003) I am learning how to smile again. I've also been working hard at scowling, frowning, and rolling my eyes dismissively. And I'm getting better and better at it-revealing my true emotions. In the real world it all comes quite naturally, without thought. But in the world I've traveled to, I have to think about my emotions in order to show them. I'm practicing with an electronic version of me-my avatar, to use the lingo-that lives in a new online virtual world. It's called There (go to There.com for a quick look). There is a testing ground for one of today's most interesting experiments in communication, one that harks back to where we were just a little more than 100 years ago, when a technology first appeared that convincingly fooled our eyes into seeing the illusion of motion in a series of still images. We are exploring a comparable threshold point in our perceptual systems today-only this time, the illusion at stake is that of emotion. At There we can build online representatives of ourselves, then meet other online versions of other people in the same virtual space and-this is the magic-express a wide range of human feeling, from anger to love, from boredom to sarcasm. http://www.discover.com/July_03/feattech.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 22:59:28 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Some Critics By JOHN MARKOFF SAN FRANCISCO, June 29 - Your next personal computer may well come with its own digital chaperon. As PC makers prepare a new generation of desktop computers with built-in hardware controls to protect data and digital entertainment from illegal copying, the industry is also promising to keep information safe from tampering and help users avoid troublemakers in cyberspace. Silicon Valley - led by Microsoft and Intel - calls the concept "trusted computing." The companies, joined by I.B.M., Hewlett-Packard, Advanced Micro Devices and others, argue that the new systems are necessary to protect entertainment content as well as safeguard corporate data and personal privacy against identity theft. Without such built-in controls, they say, Hollywood and the music business will refuse to make their products available online. But by entwining PC software and data in an impenetrable layer of encryption, critics argue, the companies may be destroying the very openness that has been at the heart of computing in the three decades since the PC was introduced. There are simpler, less intrusive ways to prevent illicit file swapping over the Internet, they say, than girding software in so much armor that new types of programs from upstart companies may have trouble working with it. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/30/technology/30SECU.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: So Hollywood is going to refuse to make their products available on line unless the computer makers tamper with my computer? Hey Hollywood, hey music industry, don't go away mad; just GO AWAY. You are not really wanted here in our 'neighborhood' anyway. The general public should tell the *computer industry* we won't buy any more of their products if they give in to Hollywood. To read NY Times articles on line use our group name 'telecomdigest' and group password 'telecomdigest' to avoid spam, etc. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 23:33:02 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Spam Wars The proliferation of junk e-mail is threatening to overwhelm the Internet. Software companies are rushing to build defenses-but will the new technologies do more harm than good? By Evan I. Schwartz July/August 2003 Technology Review http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/schwartz0703.asp ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: FCC Rules on LNP Issues Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 15:49:07 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: joeofseattle@yahoo.com by Heather Forsgren Weaver July 03, 2003 12:47 PM EST WASHINGTON The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau on Thursday clarified that carriers will not be liable for 911 information that is not properly relayed to public-safety answering points while a customer is porting a telephone number from wireline to wireless or vice versa. Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission will not allow wireless carriers to impose out-porting restrictions on customers wishing to leave. In other words, a carrier cannot prevent a subscriber from churning if they have an outstanding balance. http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=14166 Replies are seldom read. Please reply in the group ------------------------------ From: Dana Subject: Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 18:00:50 -0800 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Jim Hopkins wrote in message news:telecom22.551.7@telecom-digest.org: > What you're probably talking about is the waveguide research done at > Bell Labs and other places from the 1930's up until about > 1975. Several different systems were developed that showed great > promise for long-distance, extremely broad bandwith transmission > systems. This use of waveguide basically had a piece of waveguide all > the way between two terminals - cities, if you want to look at it that > way - with possibly some repeater stations in the middle. This sounds very interesting, do you by chance remember what they were calling it? I would think that running waveguide between two cities/communities would be very cost prohibitive, not even thinking about the real estate that would be needed either above or below ground. > By the 1970's, though, fiber optic systems were being developed that > matched or exceeded the bandwidth of waveguide systems and were > easier to install and maintain, and more reliable. So it was fiber, > not coaxial cable, that replaced waveguide. > The other posters who > responded that waveguide wasn't obsolete were undoubtedly speaking > about its use as a transmission line between a microwave transmitter > or receiver and an antenna. And in that case, they're absolutely > correct. It's not obsolete and there's no way that coax could > replace it. Jim amr wrote in message news:telecom22.549.2@ telecom-digest.org: > I heard that Waveguide became obsolete, and coaxial replaced it. > Is that right? What is the limitation for that? ------------------------------ From: Julian Thomas Subject: Re: Telephone History From Another Newsgroup Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:15:38 -0400 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com In , on 07/03/03 at 09:33 AM, TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to William Warren and may have used oatmeal boxes, old string, and new, used, and recycled electrons to say (at least in part): > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have no prizes to give away. Regards (1) > 'rate & route' the originating operator may have had the info in a flip > chart at her disposal and she was looking in there (doubtful), or maybe > she did call 'rate & route' (in those days at least) it was 815 plus 161 > [which translated to Morris, IL where the Rate & Route Bureau was > located]. Interesting (but irrelevant) trivia - Morris, Ill is where the first ESS installation went in in the late 1950's. Julian Thomas: jt@jt-mj.net http://jt-mj.net In the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State! Boardmember of POSSI.org - Phoenix OS/2 Society, Inc http://www.possi.org My software never has bugs. It just develops random features. ------------------------------ From: Dave Smith Subject: Re: The Many Paradoxes of Broadband Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 23:44:23 -0400 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Reply-To: dave.smith@devnull.gov > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'ISP Leach'? Are you speaking about > companies like AOL which although an ISP, also resells broadband to > its customers? Or companies like TerraWorld, which is an ISP and > also resells SBC broadband, but has to give the (broadband) customer > up in order to convert the customer over to Prairie Stream for > telco since SBC flatly refuses to allow any 'competitor' phone companies > to have access to their DSL features? Just curious who you feel are > the leaches. PAT] All ISPs and CLECs that don't have their own networks are leeches. We are going to build out fiber and shut down the copper and all the blood-suckin leeches will be skrewd. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well if you are that offended by ISP's and CLEC's which do not have their own networks, why do you continue to lease your facilities to them? That would promptly end the problem would it not? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Tom Betz Subject: Re: NEC Unveils Methanol-Fueled Laptop Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:02:28 +0000 (UTC) Organization: XOme Quoth Mark Atwood in news:telecom22.550.7@telecom-digest.org: > I wonder how the FAA (and other national equivalents) will feel about > this. > OTOH, they do serve vodka (which is pretty much 100% ethanol). Uh, no. 100 proof vodka is 50% ethanol. ------------------------------ From: Tom Betz Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:05:58 +0000 (UTC) Organization: XOme Quoth tom.horsley@att.net (Thomas A. Horsley) in news:telecom22.549.5@telecom-digest.org: > Which, of course, points out that anyone with an email address good > for a day or two can put any number they want on the do not call list > (not that I consider that a bad thing :-). And as has been little noted in the news, except by Eric Corley on this week's WBAI radio show "Off The Hook", anyone with an e-mail address can REMOVE any number they want from the do not call list. THAT I consider a VERY bad thing. Listen to/download a copy of the program discussing this issue at . ------------------------------ From: News Reader Subject: PIC/2PIC Freeze was Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Dialaround) Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 11:52:19 -0400 Hi, Two quick questions: 1. What's 2PIC? -- this is the first time I've heard the term. I am familiar with concept of freezing the PICC. 2. How does one freeze both these things? ----- Original Message ----- Dave Phelps wrote: > I actually get these all the time from AT&T usually, but I've never > actually tried to cash one. I probably should, after putting a PIC and > 2PIC lock on my account. ------------------------------ Subject: The Internet, Another Innovative Product From Microsoft From: Joe Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:16:09 GMT Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen. Get ready for Microsoft's latest innovation! Shared Internet Browsing! http://join.msn.com/?page=features/browse&pgmarket=en- us&RU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket %3den-us "... an exclusive breakthrough technology" And if you believe that ... Microsoft marketing is trying to sell MSN Internet Service by claiming that shared Internet browsing is an exclusive breakthrough technology. In fact, it is not breakthrough technology. Once again Microsoft is playing catch-up while pretending to innovate. Shared Internet browsing is a technology Microsoft is removing from Windows (through NetMeeting) and placing it in the next monopoly target, Internet communications. Microsoft could easily put this technology in Internet Explorer for all Windows users to enjoy. Shared Internet browsing will be commonplace shortly. It has been doable through NetMeeting for years. There are innexpensive programs already on the market to do the same. http://www.matthewssoftware.com/BrowserFor2/ Have a nice day anyway. ------------------------------ From: Joey Lindstrom Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 11:19:19 -0600 Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Reply-To: joey@telussucks.info On Wed, 2 Jul 2003 12:49:23 -0400 (EDT), Pat wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Lisa's mother uses the same lawyer as I > have consulted in the past. Lawyer does say the fastest way to conclude > this matter is to send a check to MCI for the amount suggested by the > Billing Department (was it $7.53 ?) with the check plainly marked, > 'payment in full and complete satisfaction of any indebtedness', and > to make sure they cannot later appeal that by saying checks are run > automatically without reading them through a central remittance processing > place with no authority to resolve anything, DO NOT mail the check to > the specified remittance post office box. Be certain the check is in > the proper context to avoid that excuse by MCI. Mail it by certified > mail (so YOU get back the green card proof later on) to one of the > responsible employees there (ethics officer, agency supervisor whose > name you tried to reach, etc.) Include abridged copies of your file > to date. If they then cash that check you have proof in full of your > intentions, etc. That, says lawyer, will fulfill your obligations. I > would add to that, afterward then go wash your hands and use some > strong mouthwash to get rid of the bad taste and the filth on your > hands. PAT] While this will probably work in this particular case, since there is no prior written agreement between the two parties, I strongly advise anybody who's thinking "hey, this sounds like a great way to avoid paying off my credit cards. Cut them a cheque for $50 with that "complete satisfaction" phrase on it, and voila!, I can wipe out the remaining $10,000 balance!" that most companies have wised up to this trick. Check the fine print of any written agreement you have ahead of time -- many of them now specifically forbid this little trick. Had Mr. Gibbs and MCI a previous written contract, he would be best advised to check that contract carefully for similar language, as it would void this option entirely. -- Joey Lindstrom [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That old 'paid in full' trick will NOT work when used out of context. There has to be some basis, or context to use it. You would NEVER send your payment through some central remittance processing place. Preferably your payment should be send by registered mail preferably to the company's attorney or some other responsible employee so someone has to *actually read* the check and the correspondence first. If you ignore those simple requests, then any judge who later on has to deal with the matter is surely going to rule for the litigant as a matter of fairness. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #552 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Jul 5 23:16:36 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h663GaJ02765; Sat, 5 Jul 2003 23:16:36 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 23:16:36 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307060316.h663GaJ02765@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #553 TELECOM Digest Sat, 5 Jul 2003 23:16:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 553 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Website Turns Tables on Government Officials (Monty Solomon) Pioneer Offers DVD Recorders With TiVo (Monty Solomon) E-Mail Mobs Materialize All Over (Monty Solomon) Wi-Fi at Logan (Monty Solomon) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (OneNetNut) PIC Freezes, was Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Dialaround (Stan Cline) Re: PIC/2PIC Freeze was Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA Dialaround)(Phelps) Re: The Internet Another Innovative Product From Microsoft (R Squirrel) Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? (Jim Hopkins) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Nobody) Re: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Critics (Squirrel) Re: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Critics (J Higdon) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 00:28:42 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Website Turns Tables on Government Officials By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff, 7/4/2003 Annoyed by the prospect of a massive new federal surveillance system, two researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are celebrating the Fourth of July with a new Internet service that will let citizens create dossiers on government officials. The system will start by offering standard background information on politicians, but then go one bold step further, by asking Internet users to submit their own intelligence reports on government officials -- reports that will be published with no effort to verify their accuracy. 'It's sort of a citizen's intelligence agency,' said Chris Csikszentmihalyi, assistant professor at the MIT Media Lab. He and graduate student Ryan McKinley created the Government Information Awareness (GIA) project as a response to the US government's Total Information Awareness program (TIA). http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/185/business/Website_turns_tables_on_government_officials+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 01:04:20 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Pioneer Offers DVD Recorders With TiVo New Integrated Devices Redefine Home Media Center Pioneer Electronics is debuting its line of DVD recorders featuring the TiVo service: The DVR-810H and DVR-57H. These new recorders offer consumers the control provided by the TiVo service integrated with advanced DVD recording for the option of short-term storage on a hard drive or long-term archival of broadcast programming on DVD-R/RW discs. http://www.skyretailer.com/viewskyretailer.cfm?ReleaseID=387#Story2 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 11:20:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: E-Mail Mobs Materialize All Over By Leander Kahney Inexplicable "flash mobs" are starting to form all over. Begun in New York City, the gatherings are popping up in San Francisco, Minneapolis and suburban New York City, just north of the city. There also is talk of launching a similar group in London. Flash mobs are performance art projects involving large groups of people. Mobilized by e-mail, a mob suddenly materializes in a public place, acts out according to some loose instructions, and then melts away as quickly as it formed. http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59518,00.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 14:30:36 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Wi-Fi at Logan Massport plans wireless Net system for 3 domestic terminals at Logan By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff, 7/5/2003 Officials managing Logan International Airport in Boston have launched a multimillion-dollar project to deploy high-speed wireless Internet service throughout Logan's three domestic terminals, aiming to have the system operating by next June. The Massachusetts Port Authority's request Thursday for competitive proposals envisions a single company or venture designing, building, and operating WiFi and other wireless Net systems in terminals B, C, and D, then making the system available to commercial wireless providers and airlines. Massport said it may add its international terminal E to the project if vendors are interested. Terminal A is undergoing reconstruction through 2005. The winning contractor would pay Massport a minimum annual fee plus a share of annual revenues, at rates to be determined through competitive bidding. The plan calls for the network to be fully operating by June 1, several weeks before thousands of visitors are expected in Boston for the Democratic National Convention, the MacWorld computer convention, and the typically busy summer tourist season. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/186/business/Massport_plans_wireless_Net_system_for_3_domestic_terminals_at_Logan+.shtml ------------------------------ From: OneNetNut Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 01:40:59 -0500 On 1 Jul 2003 05:04:03 -0700, egibbs@my-deja.com (Ed Gibbs) wrote about his experiences recently. I did some checking with some folks both inside and outside of MCI to get the scoop on this. It seems that this is old news. MCI already ID'd the problem and has put procedures in place to credit folks who were affected. Not sure if the original poster was affected before they zeroed in on it or not. Problem was corrected though and affected customers are getting refunds or adjusted invoices. ------------------------------ From: Stanley Cline Subject: PIC Freezes was Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Dialaround Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 04:12:06 -0400 Organization: Roamer1 Communications - Dunwoody, GA, USA Reply-To: sc1-news@roamer1.org On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 23:20:26 -0500, Gary Breuckman wrote: > In article , Dave Phelps > wrote: >> I actually get these all the time from AT&T usually, but I've never >> actually tried to cash one. I probably should, after putting a PIC and >> 2PIC lock on my account. > Doesn't work with MCI :( It won't work with most other carriers either -- the last checks I got (which were a couple of years ago; switching to and staying with small switchless resellers does wonders for reducing LD-related junk mail) contained language that authorized the LD carrier to actually **undo PIC freezes** for the purpose of completing the PIC change authorized by endorsement and cashing of the check! LD carriers can also undo PIC freezes for purposes of switching the underlying carriers of customers billed by switchless resellers -- I saw that happen once when a small reseller I used switched from (IIRC) MCI to Global Crossing in my area. Stanley Cline -- sc1 at roamer1 dot org -- http://www.roamer1.org/ "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. There might be a law against it by that time." -/usr/games/fortune ------------------------------ From: Dave Phelps Subject: Re: PIC/2PIC Freeze was Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Dialaround) Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 19:28:31 -0500 Organization: www.tippenring.com In article , SLCUUVKKQKKI@spammotel.com says: > Hi, > Two quick questions: > 1. What's 2PIC? -- this is the first time I've heard the term. I am > familiar with concept of freezing the PICC. > 2. How does one freeze both these things? PIC selects your LD carrier. 2PIC selects your local toll carrier. 2PIC may be an Ameritech-only term since I've only seen it on order forms. It wouldn't be the first Ameritech-only term I've seen. Anyone ever heard of ADTS-E? It stands for something like Advanced Digital Trunk Service-Enhanced. The only people that have ever heard of it are the marketing people. All the real phone people call it a trunk-side T1. Dave Phelps DD Networks www.ddnets.com deadspam=tippenring ------------------------------ From: redsquirrel@iceteks.com (Red Squirrel) Subject: Re: The Internet, Another Innovative Product From Microsoft Date: 5 Jul 2003 16:51:39 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Gee, when will Microsoft learn IE is dangerous. They should remove all those security flaws instead of adding more "features" that will probably introduce new flaws. The code above is all it takes to crash IE, scarry, ain't it. Just shows a simple flaw that could easly be fixed. ------------------------------ From: Jim Hopkins Subject: Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 16:06:59 GMT I don't think it ever had a common designation like 'N' or 'O' or 'A' or any of the rest of that alphabetr soup of carrier systems. Here's some of what was said about it in Chapter 6 of "Engineering and Science in the Bell System - Communications Sciences": "Waveguide research at Bell Laboratories was stimulated by two theoretical predictions that were considered remarkable in their day. The first was that radio waves could propagate in hollow metal tubes with no return conductor. The second was that certain waves having a special configuration of electromagnetic waves could propagate through cylindrical metal tubes with attenuations that would approach zero as their frequency was indefinitely increased. The experimental and theoretical explorations that followed were greatly aided by the rapid advance in techniques of generating and detecting ever-higher microwave frequencies. By-products of the developing technology were quickly applied to wartime radar and, subsequently, to microwave radio-relay systems. Eventually much effort was devoted to the realization of the predicted low losses for the circular electric wave. Problems of mode conversion due mainly to random deviations in straightness of waveguide were solved, and the engineering feasibility of ultrabroadband long-distance transmission systems using circular electric waves at millimeter wavelengths was demonstrated." The chapter goes on to detail some of the research, including construction, in 1935, of a 1250 foot circular waveguide system operating at 3.75 GHz, and research in the 1950's on a circular waveguide system that would use 5-cm diameter pipe and operate at around 60 GHz. The problems to be solved were mode conversion (changing from the circular electric wave) caused by bends and irregularities in the waveguide. These were solved by several ingenious methods of attenuating the unwanted modes using dielectrics or engineered-in irregularities such as corrugation. The feasibility of the system was finally proven with a test setup of 150 meters of waveguide and a metallic plate at the far end that would reflect a pulsed signal introduced at the near end. This test rig was used to simulate a waveguide length of up to 65 km and the predicted low attenuation was confirmed. The chapter ends with: " ...In the mid 1960's, the TE-01 waveguide system activity was transferred to an experimental development organization charged with refinement, manufacture, and installation of a system of considerable length that could be used in a field trial for final evaluation of its practicality. This evaluation was completed in 1975, and the verdict was that the TE-01 system was a success. It had the predicted low losses, only 5 percent above Schelkunoff's theoretical heat loss based on dc conductivity of copper. And it could handle ultrabroadbands of information (from 38 to 120 GHz). But like a jumbo jet airplane, it was efficient only if heavily loaded. Moreover, the technological competitor on the horizon at that moment was the optical fiber, which could be economical on low-traffic routes and easily augmented to handle the full range of communications needs in a more flexible and cost efficient way." And the rest is history. TE-01 wasn't a designation for the syatem, but rather the designation for the electromagnetic mode of the waves. As far as the cost of the system, I agree, I think it would be a lot more expensive to install than either copper cable or fiber cable, although I don't think that the cost of the easement to install it would be much greater, if any. I think the cost difference would be mostly in labor and in manufacturing cost of the waveguide. This stuff would probably have been a lot more precise and hard to build than the elliptical waveguide we see a lot of in microwave systems today, and that stuff is frightfully expensive compared to copper cable. Jim Dana wrote in message news:telecom22.552.11@telecom-digest.org: > Jim Hopkins wrote in message > news:telecom22.551.7@telecom-digest.org: >> What you're probably talking about is the waveguide research done at >> Bell Labs and other places from the 1930's up until about >> 1975. Several different systems were developed that showed great >> promise for long-distance, extremely broad bandwith transmission >> systems. This use of waveguide basically had a piece of waveguide all >> the way between two terminals - cities, if you want to look at it that >> way - with possibly some repeater stations in the middle. > This sounds very interesting, do you by chance remember what they were > calling it? I would think that running waveguide between two > cities/communities would be very cost prohibitive, not even thinking > about the real estate that would be needed either above or below > ground. >> By the 1970's, though, fiber optic systems were being developed that >> matched or exceeded the bandwidth of waveguide systems and were >> easier to install and maintain, and more reliable. So it was fiber, >> not coaxial cable, that replaced waveguide. > The other posters who >> responded that waveguide wasn't obsolete were undoubtedly speaking >> about its use as a transmission line between a microwave transmitter >> or receiver and an antenna. And in that case, they're absolutely >> correct. It's not obsolete and there's no way that coax could >> replace it. > Jim > amr wrote in message news:telecom22.549.2@ > telecom-digest.org: >> I heard that Waveguide became obsolete, and coaxial replaced it. >> Is that right? What is the limitation for that? ------------------------------ From: Nobody Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Reply-To: nobody@nowhere.now Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 18:58:19 GMT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net Cast my vote for "I don't care"! I PAY for my phone line for MY convenience. Unfortunately, MY phone number has become "open-season" for these jerks. When they ring my number, they are "virtual trespassing" in my home. I don't want them to call, I've told them repeatedly to stop yet they continue to pester me. While telemarketers may try to find little faults with this system (in an attempt to invalidate it), it is only for their own greedy self-intersts. They don't give a F*** about how much they constantly annoy us. While it is certainly your right to find minor flaws with the donotcall.gov Website, letting these greedy jerks continue to harass us on a daily basis is not an option either. It has been proposed that the telemarketers use an opt-in list but they don't want that because few people (if any) would actually voluntarily sign-up to be harassed. The donotcall.gov effort is clearly the best we can hope for. On Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:05:58 +0000 (UTC), Tom Betz wrote: > Quoth tom.horsley@att.net (Thomas A. Horsley) in > news:telecom22.549.5@telecom-digest.org: >> Which, of course, points out that anyone with an email address good >> for a day or two can put any number they want on the do not call list >> (not that I consider that a bad thing :-). > And as has been little noted in the news, except by Eric Corley on > this week's WBAI radio show "Off The Hook", anyone with an e-mail > address can REMOVE any number they want from the do not call list. > THAT I consider a VERY bad thing. > Listen to/download a copy of the program discussing this issue at > . ------------------------------ From: redsquirrel@iceteks.com (Red Squirrel) Subject: Re: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Some Critics Date: 5 Jul 2003 16:54:21 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ That's scary. How would they do this? A built-in user-proof firewall inside network cards or something? Whatever they do, I hope it won't affect home built PCs. Yet another reason to build your own. :) ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Some Critics Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 14:50:35 -0700 In article , Monty Solomon wrote: > Without such built-in controls, they say, Hollywood and the music > business will refuse to make their products available online. Deal. Hollywood, don't let the door whack your butt as you leave. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yeah, but John, you know as well as I that they are only bluffing. Like yourself, I really wish they would get lost and stay lost. Ditto the music industry. None of those people have any business at all being here on the net; they should not be around at all given the amount of control they want over their output, and not a one of them is smart enough to figure out how to get the best of both worlds; ie. the rapid and comprehensive transfer of files over the net *and* get legitimatly paid for it without having to harass the rest of us in the meantime. So many of the new netizens in recent years have such very peculiar ideas about things around here. I guess for them it is simply easier to put their stuff all over the sidewalk with the rest of us then harass the people who try to examine their stuff. They are only bluffing about leaving; they'll be around, unfortunatly, until Hell freezes over, and I am not referring to Hell, Michigan. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. 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His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #553 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jul 6 17:12:53 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h66LCqF25043; Sun, 6 Jul 2003 17:12:53 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 17:12:53 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307062112.h66LCqF25043@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #554 TELECOM Digest Sun, 6 Jul 2003 17:13:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 554 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Craw-Kan Phones Shut Down (Lisa Minter) Firms Finding Profit in Consumer Data / Some Use Tactics (Monty Solomon) Comcast Signs on Power Lobbyists (Monty Solomon) Ambush TV/Pranks May Be Funny; Victims Get Last Laugh (Monty Solomon) Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (Monty Solomon) Re: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Critics (nuther Bob) Re: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Critics (J Higdon) Re: Wi-Fi at Logan (dold@Wi-FiXatXL.usenet.us.com) Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? (Eric Tappert) Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes ('nuther Bob) Re: Telephone History From Another Newsgroup (Gail M. Hall) PICs, Freezes, Validations/Verifications, etc (Mark J Cuccia) Re: PIC/2PIC Freeze was Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Dialaround)(Doug) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 10:43:14 PDT From: Lisa Minter Subject: Craw-Kan Phones Shut Down Crawford County, Kansas - (Story taken in part from Independence Sunday Reporter, July 6): Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton and her deputies had their hands full just before the Independence Day Holiday. Craw-Kan Communications System (what was formerly known as the Crawford County Telephone Cooperative) was out of order all of one day and part of the next. According to Sheriff Horton, Craw-Kan's entire system crashed for no apparent reason, killing phone service to the rural areas of Crawford County for all of one day, then again for part of another day. The rural county of 36,000 consists of Pittsburg, a university town of 18,000 served by Southwestern Bell and a dozen or so other small towns and villages (the largest of which is Girard, the county seat with a population of about 2500) which are served by the rural telephone cooperative (now Craw-Kan). The telephone technician, attempted several times to reboot the system without success which continued to crash periodically throughout the remainder of the day and part of the next day. Horton instructed the deputies to go to the various town offices thoughout the county to relay any complaints by radio, and residents were expected to walk to the town hall or village office to seek any assistance required on an emergency basis. Most of the towns in Crawford County are too small to have any police force of their own except for Girard and Pittsburg with their own police departments. Horton's four deupties served the small towns of Arcadia, McCune and Walnut by radio from the town offices. The phone system got repaired and back on line early the next morning. Although telephones in Pittsburg are 620-231 and 620-232, in other parts of the county they are 620-226, 620-754 and 620-763. Lisa Minter ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 12:11:50 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Firms Finding Profit in Consumer Data / Some Use Tactics Some use tactics to circumvent privacy pledges By Jonathan Krim, Washington Post, 7/6/2003 To parents interested in buying the popular Hooked on Phonics learn-to-read programs, the company made a firm promise on its website: It would never sell or rent their personal information to other marketers. But that pledge was empty. In the pages of a marketing trade publication, Gateway Learning Corp., the product's California-based parent company, was advertising to rent the list of Hooked on Phonics buyers to other marketers. At a price of $95 per 1,000 names, companies could arrange to have unsolicited advertising sent to 105,936 people who bought Hooked on Phonics in the past year. Included in the information made available to other marketers: ages of the buyers' children. After inquiries from The Washington Post, the company changed its privacy policy and is no longer promising to keep such data from being offered to others. A company spokeswoman said the firm was simply slow to update its policy. Previous customers would be notified of the change and offered the chance to remove themselves from the list, she said. Hooked on Phonics is one example of retailers, marketers, and an array of service providers expanding their collection and use of consumers' e-mail addresses and other personal information, despite broad assurances to protect individual privacy and honor consumers' choices about how much marketing they want to receive. Many firms use tactics designed to hide their intent to gather and profit from the data they collect, information that grows in value as more and more people use the Internet for information and shopping. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/187/business/Firms_finding_profit_in_consumer_data+.shtml [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Although the company promised never to sell or rent their list, they never promised not to spam their list. That does make a difference, technically. They never surrendered the list to anyone to obtain personal data (such as credit card numbers and names) from. All they did was mail to the list themselves. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 12:48:18 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Comcast Signs on Power Lobbyists By LARA JAKES JORDAN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider, is hiring some of the most politically connected lobbyists in the capital as important policy decisions that will affect the industry near. Over the past four months, the Philadelphia-based company has hired an adviser to Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, the former chief of staff to retired House Republican leader Dick Armey and the counsel to House Energy and Commerce Chairman Billy Tauzin, R-La., whose committee has jurisdiction over broadcast, cable and satellite questions. Additionally, the sister-in-law of White House chief of staff Andrew Card is a Comcast consultant. Comcast executives said the hires simply represent an effort to enhance the company's image since it became the top cable provider in November with its $29 billion acquisition of AT&T Broadband. They acknowledge the company will step up its role as Washington oversees regulation of new technology and business operations in the cable industry. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34745900 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 11:47:55 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Ambush TV / Pranks May Be Funny, but Victims May Get Last Laugh (AP) By ABCNEWS.com June 27 - The original Candid Camera was never like this. Today's reality shows are pulling pranks on people that are more daring, more outrageous, and scarier than ever before - and everyone is fair game. In the jargon of the new TV trend, you can be the subject of a scare tactic, you can be "Ex'd," and you can be "Punk'd" - like celebrity Justin Timberlake was. The pop idol was visibly shaken when he believed he was being evicted from his home for failing to pay back-taxes - a prank set up by the MTV show Punk'd. In an episode of Scare Tactics, a young woman camping in the woods with friends is terrified after seeing a masked man with a machete peer into the cabin. She's upset and frightened - and then, her friends not only tell her it's all a joke, they also tell her she's on a reality television show. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/entertainment/062703_ent_ambush_tv.html [Lisa Minter note: I think those shows are all mean and hateful. I am told many people refuse to sign off giving permission for that junk to be shown on television. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 12:34:55 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues By David Kravets, Associated Press, 7/6/2003 SAN FRANCISCO -- Courthouses have long been considered stodgy institutions, foreign to the public they serve. The Internet has made them a little less detached, offering the ability to pay tickets, attend traffic school, even monitor dockets online. But most of the documents available at the courthouse are not online, either for lack of funding and technology or due to concerns that not all public records should be so easily available. As state court officials across the nation ponder whether and how to make courthouses Internet-friendly, policy makers from California to New York are shielding many otherwise readily available records from cyberspace. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/187/nation/Online_court_records_raise_privacy_issues+.shtml [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Privacy' has no place in the same sentence as 'open and public judicial proceedings'. Here in the USA we have a system of open and public trials. Anyone is invited to walk in the courthouse and watch the trials going on. Would you want it any other way? There are exceptions of course, but generally we do not have secret trials in the middle of the night with people then shipped off to prisons, etc. I would not want that. If we are free to observe and discuss trials then we are free to publish about them afterward, which includes the right to exchange the transcripts and our discussions in various forums. Why would anyone here in the USA want otherwise? Do not get put on trial (rightfully or wrongly) if you do not want the community (whose representatives put you on trial) to know about what took place. PAT] ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Some Critics Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 02:55:45 GMT On Fri, 4 Jul 2003 22:59:28 -0400, TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Monty Solomon : > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: So Hollywood is going to refuse to make > their products available on line unless the computer makers tamper > with my computer? Hey Hollywood, hey music industry, don't go away > mad; just GO AWAY. You are not really wanted here in our 'neighborhood' > anyway. The general public should tell the *computer industry* we > won't buy any more of their products if they give in to Hollywood. I'm sure this has little to do with Hollywood. Intel and Microsoft do not care about Hollywood unless there is profit involved. Intel is no doubt looking for a feature to sell. MS is looking for a way to wrap up software licensing even tighter. > To read NY Times articles on line use our group name 'telecomdigest' > and group password 'telecomdigest' to avoid spam, etc. PAT] Thanks. Bob ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: A Safer System for Home PC's Feels Like Jail to Some Critics Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 08:12:34 -0700 In article , > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Noted in response to John Higdon: > Yeah, but John, you know as well as I that they are only > bluffing. Like yourself, I really wish they would get lost and stay > lost. Ditto the music industry. None of those people have any > business at all being here on the net; they should not be around at > all given the amount of control they want over their output, and not > a one of them is smart enough to figure out how to get the best of > both worlds; ie. the rapid and comprehensive transfer of files over > the net *and* get legitimatly paid for it without having to harass > the rest of us in the meantime. So many of the new netizens in > recent years have such very peculiar ideas about things around here. > I guess for them it is simply easier to put their stuff all over the > sidewalk with the rest of us then harass the people who try to > examine their stuff. They are only bluffing about leaving; they'll > be around, unfortunatly, until Hell freezes over, and I am not > referring to Hell, Michigan. PAT] Hollywood and the music industry want to turn all of computing into a closed, dedicated system to distribute entertainment on strict terms to be dictated by the copyright cartel. This is their dream. Unfortunately, Bill Gates and Intel and a few dumb bunnies in Congress are more than happy to bend over. Bill sees bucks and a side benefit of derailing Linux. "Trusted computing" would lock out all OSes that are not strictly controlled by the copyright cartel. We would never allow any other industry to even begin to think about such nonsense. Even the computer software program companies never suggested that the hardware be closed off to prevent copying or use of their products in ways not envisioned by the authors. But for some reason, manufacturers, software and hardware designers, and even the worlds's biggest CPU manufacturer are collaborating with Federal legislators in an attempt to seal off the control of technology so that only major multi-national corporations who specialize in entertainment can decide the future of personal computing. If this is the price we have to pay to be entertained at home in the future, I'm not willing to pay it. If the copyright cartel wants to create its own, non-interoperable devices to be used for home entertainment, then fine. But as far as I am concerned, they are not welcome in the world of general computing or on the Internet as long as they believe they must control it all. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: dold@Wi-FiXatXL.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: Wi-Fi at Logan Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 17:43:25 UTC Organization: a2i network Monty Solomon wrote: > Officials managing Logan International Airport in Boston have launched > a multimillion-dollar project to deploy high-speed wireless Internet > service throughout Logan's three domestic terminals, aiming to have > the system operating by next June. That would put them at least a year behind Dallas-Fort Worth, and Fort Lauderdale, who already have free WiFi in the terminals. ------------------------------ From: Eric Tappert Subject: Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 18:42:49 GMT Organization: AT&T Worldnet Folks, The system was called "WT-4" and provided 57 radio channels, each carrying a DS-4 digital signal over two tubes (a four wire system). The system was field trialed in New Jersey in 1975 between Netcong and Long Valley (8.7 miles, only twelve channels were equipped). Total system capacity was 238,000 voice channels. Depending on terrain, repeaters were required at 30-37 mile intervals. Some interesting devices were used in the system, including IMPATT oscillators where the IMPATT diode was bonded with gold to a diamond heat sink, handling a power density of 2 Megawatts/square inch. Fortunately, the diode was only 0.001 square inches, but 2 watts in that area is still a challenging problem. In any event, Long Lines couldn't find any two places that needed 238,000 circuits between them, and if they could they certainly wouldn't put all of them in the same trench. The waveguide placement was also problematical as the bend radii and other mechanical arrangements were rather exacting. Of interest was the mechanical "mouse" used to tmeasure the physical dimensions of the inside of the waveguide. It had a hook on the back end, to which a long string was attached in case the batteries went dead between access points. In any event, in 1976 the system was documented and put on the shelf. Fiber progress was such that it would be the medium of choice when, finally, the capacity was needed. Check out "A History of Engineering and Science in the Bell System, Transmission Systems" published in 1985 for more details. E. Tappert On Sat, 05 Jul 2003 16:06:59 GMT, Jim Hopkins wrote: > I don't think it ever had a common designation like 'N' or 'O' or 'A' > or any of the rest of that alphabetr soup of carrier systems. Here's > some of what was said about it in Chapter 6 of "Engineering and > Science in the Bell System - Communications Sciences": > "Waveguide research at Bell Laboratories was stimulated by two > theoretical predictions that were considered remarkable in their > day. The first was that radio waves could propagate in hollow metal > tubes with no return conductor. The second was that certain waves > having a special configuration of electromagnetic waves could > propagate through cylindrical metal tubes with attenuations that would > approach zero as their frequency was indefinitely increased. The > experimental and theoretical explorations that followed were greatly > aided by the rapid advance in techniques of generating and detecting > ever-higher microwave frequencies. By-products of the developing > technology were quickly applied to wartime radar and, subsequently, to > microwave radio-relay systems. Eventually much effort was devoted to > the realization of the predicted low losses for the circular electric > wave. Problems of mode conversion due mainly to random deviations in > straightness of waveguide were solved, and the engineering feasibility > of ultrabroadband long-distance transmission systems using circular > electric waves at millimeter wavelengths was demonstrated." > The chapter goes on to detail some of the research, including > construction, in 1935, of a 1250 foot circular waveguide system > operating at 3.75 GHz, and research in the 1950's on a circular > waveguide system that would use 5-cm diameter pipe and operate at > around 60 GHz. The problems to be solved were mode conversion > (changing from the circular electric wave) caused by bends and > irregularities in the waveguide. These were solved by several > ingenious methods of attenuating the unwanted modes using dielectrics > or engineered-in irregularities such as corrugation. >>> What you're probably talking about is the waveguide research done at >>> Bell Labs and other places from the 1930's up until about >>> 1975. Several different systems were developed that showed great >>> promise for long-distance, extremely broad bandwith transmission >>> systems. This use of waveguide basically had a piece of waveguide all >>> the way between two terminals - cities, if you want to look at it that >>> way - with possibly some repeater stations in the middle. >> This sounds very interesting, do you by chance remember what they were >> calling it? I would think that running waveguide between two >> cities/communities would be very cost prohibitive, not even thinking >> about the real estate that would be needed either above or below >> ground. >>> By the 1970's, though, fiber optic systems were being developed that >>> matched or exceeded the bandwidth of waveguide systems and were >>> easier to install and maintain, and more reliable. So it was fiber, >>> not coaxial cable, that replaced waveguide. > The other posters who >>> responded that waveguide wasn't obsolete were undoubtedly speaking >>> about its use as a transmission line between a microwave transmitter >>> or receiver and an antenna. And in that case, they're absolutely >>> correct. It's not obsolete and there's no way that coax could >>> replace it. >>> I heard that Waveguide became obsolete, and coaxial replaced it. >>> Is that right? What is the limitation for that? Oops, WT-4 used just one waveguide, separating directions with FDM. One direction used 40 - 74.4 GHz, the other direction used 75.5 - 110 GHz. Sorry about that. E. Tappert ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 03:04:16 GMT I'm new here, so I gotta ask ... How come the moderator -- Pat aka Lisa -- posts "TELECOM Digest Editor's Note:"s in the original post instead of just doing a followup with his opinions like most every other moderator? Certainly comments on the post like " I let this through even though it's lightly off topic because..." would be appropriate to put in the original post. But, I think threads would be easier to follow and respond to if the moderator's opinions on the issues were posted in the normal way. Bob [Lisa Minter note: I just do it the way I was taught when I started helping here. New, original postings by myself go out as new messages. For example the first message in this issue about the phone outage. Other comments go below whatever the person said, but separated from it and identified as my own comments. Because I am only temporarily helping here, I am not permitted to refer to myself as 'TELECOM Digest Editor', and must sign the notes with my own name. Lisa M.] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Lisa speaks correctly. That is how I taught her. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Gail M. Hall Subject: Re: Telephone History From Another Newsgroup Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 00:31:14 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 16:39:27 -0400, in comp.dcom.telecom message , TELECOM Digest Editor noted in respnse to Julian Thomas : > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Not a bad story, but you long time > (ancient, actually) telephone people read the story again and try to > tell me *at least* one thing wrong in the tale. If you are really an > expert you'll find two things wrong. Find a third thing wrong and you > are a genius like me, despite my deseased brain. PAT] In the story, the caller did not know the phone number, and even the local operator just said, "It's two longs and a short." I'm not an old telephone person, but I do know that when my parents had their old crank-it-yourself phone, the phone company did assign "numbers". In our case, two longs were X, so our phone number was 17FX. The 17 was the line for our road. The F meant "farmers" line, and X, being Roman numeral for 10 was two longs. One long was assigned the number 5. Back then we didn't have a set number of digits in our numbers. I remember at one house we lived, our number was 1725. By that time they had taken out the F because it wasn't a farmers' line any more. The 17 was still the line number for the line on our road. Two shorts was assigned the number 2, and a long was assigned the number 5. Our ring then was two shorts and a long. Later, our ring became just 2 shorts, so our number was 172. When they upgraded in the 1950's to the kind of system they had in town, where just picking up the handpiece alerted the operator you wanted to call someone, they were already getting ready for dialing. They put in a new modern phone with the dial covered. A few years later, they had installed the dialing system, and the phone man came out and uncovered the dial. I don't remember what year it was, but eventually they set everyone up with 7-digit numbers. Eventually we heard the rings for only half the people on our line. Over the years they had fewer and fewer people on one party line. Now I am told that everyone there has a private line. Now there is an ISP in town, and a lot of folks in town and in the country have dialup Internet service. I vaguely remember the first long-distance call I made myself. We still had the manual phone. To get "Central" (what we called the Operator back then), we cranked the phone one ring. It didn't matter if it was short or long. One ring meant "Central". I don't remember if I had to tell her my number or not. We were on a party line with LOTS of parties on it, so I suspect we would have to tell the operator what number we were calling from. I did have to give the number for the party I was calling. I also don't have any memory for how many operators our operator had to go through to get to my party. Operators were able to dial direct for quite some time before customers could, but I don't know what year that happened in our area. In the late 1950s, the whole country was getting ready for direct dialing service and established 7-digit numbers for everyone. When I went to Lawrence, KS, in 1959, direct dialing was already established there, and there were instructions in the phone book for how to dial the area code and then the 7-digit number. It didn't take long for other parts of the country to get direct dialing. In a quieter way, mailing addresses have been updated in this country. My parents bought their last house around 1956 or so, but they had three different addresses. At first, anyone living on that road could have their address as just the name of the route, no box numbers or house numbers. The mail carrier knew who everyone was. Later, they gave everyone on that route a box number, so the address was [name of route] Route, Box nnnn, for however many numbers they needed for the mailboxes. Later they changed to city type addresses. Instead of "Route", the road was named a "Road" or something similar, and each house was given a house number. They left plenty of numbers unused between houses just in case properties became subdivided later on. Now the form of the address is nnnnn [name] Road (or Drive or whatever). I wondered if the postal service got their idea of standardizing addresses from the phone companies. Gail in Ohio USA [TELECOM Digest Editors's Note: Actually it was the other way around. Telco got the idea from the postal service, which had been imposed on by police/fire authorities to come up with a system to 'pinpoint' every dwelling place everywere with some (supposedly, at least to local authorities) logical numbering system so that fire and police could very quickly find who wanted whatever. When the postal service (or post office) implemented the one mprovement

lan about 1963, they began 'thinking about' how to handle the Rural Routes which were becoming more and more obsolete in our nation. Now everything is (at least formally) a County Road (number) with a house number thereon. When Independence had manual phone service until 1959 or maybe 1960 we had one, two, three or four digit numbers. The switchboard was located at 6th and Maple Streets in the SWB Telco building. When the town 'went dial in style' (as the advertisements beforehand all told, since Princess Phones were just coming into vogue) everyone's phone number was swapped out for EDison 1-(same number) with zeros prepended as needed to make an even seven digits; i.e. phone number '123' became EDison 1-0123, as needed. About five years later, EDison-1 was dropped for 331 which it still is. The general public still gives their number as four digits; instead of saying 'my phone number is 331-0123' they mostly say 'my number is oh-one-two-three' and everyone seems to understand that. Then in recent years when 330 and 332 were added for some specialized numbers like cell phones and the city hall centrex people just added 330 or 332 as needed for those few numbers. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 01:18:54 CDT From: Mark J Cuccia Subject: PICs, freezes, validations/verifications, etc Dave Phelps wrote: > SLCUUVKKQKKI@spammotel.com says: >> What's 2PIC? -- this is the first time I've heard the term. I am >> familiar with concept of freezing the PICC. > PIC selects your LD carrier. 2PIC selects your local toll carrier. > 2PIC may be an Ameritech-only term since I've only seen it on order > forms. Here in BellSouth territory, I've heard the business office service reps refer to a PIC and PIC-Freeze, as well as the L-PIC and L-PIC-freeze. The L-PIC is your primary in-tra-LATA toll-carrier, the so-called and oxymoronic "Local/Toll" carrier (how can something be local and toll at the same time! :). The PIC is your in-ter-LATA toll-carrier, the so-called "Long Distance" carrier. There is also a third "PIC" which also can be "frozen" in some areas. I know that there is a freeze available here in Louisiana -- The LSP (Local Service Provider) -- i.e. your LEC or CLEC, aka your "dial tone" provider ... sometimes your "loop" provider. And this may or may not include "bundlers" and "resellers" as well. Here in Louisiana, you can even get your LSP "frozen" so that some other LEC/CLEC/etc in the area supposedly can't come around and "slam" you away. As for multiple types of PICs and such ... in *some* situations (it used to be this way with 'traditional' style telco-owned c.o.switch-coin-control payphones of the later 1980s and most of the 1990s), there could be different PICs (at least on the in-ter-LATA and international/overseas side) as to 1+/011+ vs. 0+/01+. It used to be that AT&T was the *only* PIC for the in-ter-LATA/international (coin-sent-paid) side (i.e., 1+/011+) while the "special billing" side (card/collect/3d-pty/etc) on 0+/01+ for in-ter-LATA and international/overseas, was PIC'd according to the property-owner or contracted party for location of the telco-owned payphone. In-tra-LATA services at that telco payphone, both 1+ coin-sent-paid, as well as 0+ special billing, has always seemed to be PIC'd to the incumbent LEC as the provider. Of course, one could always place card/collect/etc. type calls from these phones via the carrier of choice, with 950-xxxx and 1-800/888/877/etc. card/operator platform dial-up access numbers, or the more archaic 101-XXXX+0+/01+ access method, bypassing any telco/property-owner chosen defaulted 0+/01+ PICs on the line. NOTE: AT&T *NO LONGER* provides 1+/011+ coin-sent-paid "traditional c.o.switch/ OSPS-ACTS coin-control services for about a year now. If you are at a telco-owned traditional c.o.switch-coin-controlled payphone, and you want to place *AT&T* 1+/011+ coin-sent-paid calls, you are S/O/L these days. However, local telco may still do in-tra-LATA TOPS-ACTS 1+ coin-sent-paid calling, as well as local c.o.coin-sent-paid calling; It looks like the damed private payphones/ COCOTs have won! :( As for PIC-validation or verification: 1-700-555-4141 (and a few other different last four digits in some cases), to verify/validate your in-ter-LATA / international/overseas toll PIC; (in Canada it is simply your "toll PIC" because LATAs don't apply in Canada). (1)+(Home/Adjacent-NPA)+700-4141, to verify/validate your in-tra-LATA toll PIC, (This applies to the US *Only*); (In MOST parts of the US, it is your HOME area code, but there are a few cases, such as parts of California and Illinois, where the 700 local c.o. code prefix was assigned already as a POTS/geographic use local c.o.code in that area code/NPA region in question, thus one must use a partiuclar adjacent area's NPA code to call 700-4141 to validate your L-PIC; check with your local telco business office if in the Chicago or Los Angeles areas to find out for certain). And the third, the LSP (Local Service Provider) PIC validation/ verification umber is *supposedly* going to be: (1)+(home/adjacent-NPA)+555-0055. This is *NOT* yet in actual working operation yet. But that 555-0055 number has been "reserved" for this purpose in the FUTURE. This number does *NOT* yet work for this purpose. If you attempt it right now, you will either go "no-where" (vacant code recording), or you might reach your local/toll Directory Assistance (information) provider "as if" you had dialed (1)+(NPA)+555-1212, and thus be charged (what these days has become) QUITE an exhorbitant fee/cost! :( mjc ------------------------------ From: Doug Subject: Re: PIC/2PIC Freeze was Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Dialaround) Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 08:22:09 -0400 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Verizon calls their local toll carrier "LPIC" in their CSR's. Doug in Delaware Dave Phelps wrote in message news:telecom22.553.7@telecom-digest.org: > In article , > SLCUUVKKQKKI@spammotel.com says: >> Hi, >> Two quick questions: >> 1. What's 2PIC? -- this is the first time I've heard the term. I am >> familiar with concept of freezing the PICC. >> 2. How does one freeze both these things? > PIC selects your LD carrier. 2PIC selects your local toll > carrier. 2PIC may be an Ameritech-only term since I've only seen it on > order forms. > It wouldn't be the first Ameritech-only term I've seen. Anyone ever > heard of ADTS-E? It stands for something like Advanced Digital Trunk > Service-Enhanced. The only people that have ever heard of it are the > marketing people. All the real phone people call it a trunk-side T1. > Dave Phelps > DD Networks > www.ddnets.com > deadspam=tippenring ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #554 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jul 7 21:34:11 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h681YBQ09855; Mon, 7 Jul 2003 21:34:11 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 21:34:11 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307080134.h681YBQ09855@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #555 TELECOM Digest Mon, 7 Jul 2003 21:34:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 555 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes (Gail M. Hall) Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes ('nuther Bob) Article About Verizon Repair (Sm704) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (John Bartley K7AAY) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Tom Betz) Maybe You Know Where I Can Find (Jo Frykman) Telephone Votes Sent to Wrong Number (Gail M. Hall) Re: Wi-Fi at Logan ('nuther Bob) Re: Ambush TV/Pranks May Be Funny; Victims Get Last Laugh (Justin Time) Re: Vonage/Cisco ATA - Incoming Calls (Pierrot) The Future Was so Bright (Monty Solomon) Re: Craw-Kan Phones Shut Down (John Bartley K7AAY) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gail M. Hall Subject: Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 17:08:20 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 03:04:16 GMT, in comp.dcom.telecom message , 'nuther Bob wrote: > I'm new here, so I gotta ask ... > How come the moderator -- Pat aka Lisa -- posts "TELECOM Digest > Editor's Note:"s in the original post instead of just doing > a followup with his opinions like most every other moderator? > Certainly comments on the post like " I let this through > even though it's lightly off topic because..." would be > appropriate to put in the original post. But, I think threads > would be easier to follow and respond to if the moderator's opinions > on the issues were posted in the normal way. Telecom Digest is the only group outside of our old Cleveland Free-Net where moderators do this. I wonder if this was an earlier custom that was later changed for most usenet groups later on. On Free-Net, many of the SIGs (Special Interest Groups) were run by people who were knowledgeable (or supposedly so) about the topic of the group. We had a Law SIG run by an attorney, an IRS SIG run by people from the local IRS office, a library reference SIG moderated by people from the local library reference desk. So it was common for people to post to the moderated group and get an answer added by the moderator. It appeared when the message was "approved" by the moderator. Some of our SIGs, like the Medical SIG and Law SIG also provided for blocking out the e-mail addresses of the posters. The people posting could ask about controversial things or embarrassing things and remain anonymous. TELECOM Digest, as far as I know, started out and still is a mailing list that at some point in its history was "gatewayed" to . I have no idea what software was used when this group started out. But it's logical to me that the format and "atomosphere" has remained fairly consistent throught all the changes in software and hosts. > [Lisa Minter note: I just do it the way I was taught when I started > helping here. New, original postings by myself go out as new messages. > For example the first message in this issue about the phone outage. > Other comments go below whatever the person said, but separated from > it and identified as my own comments. Because I am only temporarily > helping here, I am not permitted to refer to myself as 'TELECOM Digest > Editor', and must sign the notes with my own name. Lisa M.] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Lisa speaks correctly. That is how I > taught her. PAT] Because my introduction to newsgroups and mailing lists started out with many of them using this format, it doesn't seem strange to me. I can see, though, that other people would find it "different" and wonder why it's done this way here. Gail in NE Ohio USA ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 03:40:31 GMT On Sun, 06 Jul 2003 03:04:16 GMT, 'nuther Bob wrote: > I'm new here, so I gotta ask ... > [Lisa Minter note: I just do it the way I was taught when I started > helping here. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Lisa speaks correctly. That is how I > taught her. PAT] LOL ... that really explains it. BTW -- am I really supposed to believe that two different moderators passed this post from one to the other so that they both could comment on it ? This "Lisa Minter" thing is really supposed to be a "see right through it, that makes it funny" type joke, right ? (Just checking, like I said, I'm new here). Bob [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You really are new here. That much is obvious. One moderator did not 'pass this post on from one to the other'. Lisa sits here in my home working on the Digest and other matters of her own choosing on the computer. Lisa and/or her mother are here in my home three or four times daily, mainly to attend to me; my housekeeping, my meals and my personal needs. Since my brain aneurysm on November 29, 1999 I have needed some degree of personal care. (An aneurysm is similar to a stroke; but not exactly the same. When it occurs in the brain region it results in severe neurological damage. I am not paralyzed; I do get up and down and hobble around; even go outside a block or two by myself. None the less, Lisa and/or her mother are good people to have around, especially since I did not die on the spot post-aneurysm as about 75 percent of the victims of same do. There are many times I honestly feel I would have been better off dying when it happened, rather than simply be in a coma- state for nearly three months afterward. Much of this has been told time and again in the Digest to the point where most people, including myself, are getting bored with it. The last housekeeper I had here was NOT a computer person. Lisa, on the other hand took an interest in my computers from the first day she saw them. I let her 'dive right in', and learn them as she goes along, just as I did for many other people in my past including the late moderator of rec.radio.broadcasting (airwaves.com) and others. Lisa sees the mail here, works on it as I have instructed her, and quite freqently gets a puzzled look on her face until I ask her what is wrong, and then either type in the answer myself, or tell her what to type or whatever. For an answer to your question, read the other comments in this issue posted by Gail Hall. That explains why things are done here as they are, mainly because this is *not* a Usenet product, it is first and foremost a private mailing list. Now that I have aired out my own soiled underwear and bedsheets once again, to the tedium of the other long time regulars here, do you have any futher questions or comments, Sir--uh? Any further laughs? PAT] ------------------------------ From: rain409@hotmail.com (Sm704) Subject: Article About Verizon Repair Date: 6 Jul 2003 15:39:06 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Here's an article someone wrote to the local newspaper's editorial section about Verizon's repair service. Mind you, I agree with every word in this article. It's all 100% true. ------------------------------ Title: Out-of-service phone took four days to fix On June 24, a Tuesday, at 6:30 a.m., my neighbor reported to Verizon that our phone was out-of-service. They said that repair would be done between the day we reported it and Friday at 5 p.m. I stayed home on Tuesday and Wednesday waiting for a service man to show up. Wednesday morning, a Verizon repair truck was working on a house two houses from mine. I asked the repairman if he had a work order for my house and he said he had none. He said he could not call into his office, as they have no more phones in their trucks, and that all work was done by computers and that he had to report back. I was told that even if you needed your phone for medical purposes it did not matter to Verizon and it would still take four days to repair. Finally on a Friday, we got our service back. It should never take four days to get your service back. Verizon should change its slogan of "We are working for you." I guess it's time for a service change. - William Morrissey Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette - 7/5/2003 ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2003 23:21:27 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From Monty Solomon (monty@roscom.com): >> As state court officials across the nation ponder whether and how to >> make courthouses Internet-friendly, policy makers from California to >> New York are shielding many otherwise readily available records from >> cyberspace. > Yes. Putting public records on the Internet is a violation of privacy! Whatever. GMAFB. Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net "Microsoft must think they're a navy, they open so many ports." --Ben Scott on the ISP-TECH mailing list, 18 June 2003 ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 16:31:43 GMT > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Privacy' has no place in the same > sentence as 'open and public judicial proceedings'. Yes, it does. Making all details regarding participants in civil matters exposes them to identity theft. If you have ever filed for bankruptcy, your SSN, full name and address are now part of the court record. May I please have your SSN, full name and address, and post that on the web for all the world to see? Kinda puts a different light on the issue. Things change. Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Putting those records on the Internet does nothing a dedicated snooper could not do by sitting down at your local courthouse and copying the files by hand. Your problem obviously is with the idea of having an open judicial system in this country. The Internet has added nothing except the convenience of automated reporting to a system that was around from even before my time. If you want to complain about something, then complain how people's morals and ethics in the handling of 'sensitive' information have not kept pace with the speed of technology, but don't blame the technology. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Tom Betz Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 17:40:40 UTC Organization: Anything Nobody wrote in news:telecom22.553.10@telecom- digest.org: > While it is certainly your right to find minor flaws with the > donotcall.gov Website, Minor flaws? MINOR flaws? Okay, so I guess you won't mind if I find out what your phone number is and de-list it without bothering to tell you. And you won't mind if I set up a bot that will check ever couple of weeks to see whether you've re-listed your number and automatically de-list you again. The way AT&T has set up this site for the FTC, there's nothing to stop me (or anyone else, including a telemarketing sleaze) from doing that. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here again, we have a case of getting into things not your own (someone else's phone number) and forging a document or three for your own interests, then blaming *your own dishonesty* on the 'flaws' in someone else's work. While far from perfect, the way the web site is set up now is you go there and enter both the phone number to be listed *AND* a valid email address for yourself. You then recieve back *in email, almost immediatly* a request to confirm what you have done. You must click on the link provided at that point and proceed to 'verify' your entry. And your IP address is noted at the same time for their logs. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Jo Frykman Subject: Maybe You Know Where I Can Find Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 15:52:17 -0400 Hi -- here's a bold and assumptive question - but I am aggressive!! I just started as a sales rep for a company that offers hosting -- and since Sprint has announced they are closing their center, I want to find out how I can get a list of their customers and their contact info so I can try and get them to use our hosting center. Do you have any ideas? I hope you don't mind this kind of question, and I apologize ahead of time if this is an absurd email !! Thanks, JB Frykman [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Why don't you simply ask Sprint to sell it to you. They probably would. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Gail M. Hall Subject: Telephone Votes Sent to Wrong Number Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 17:08:18 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net I'm amazed I haven't seen mention of this story yet. The other night on our local news, they intereviewed an elderly woman who lives in Ashtabula, OH, if I remember right. I don't know if the story is still on the channel's web site. I did see the report on WKYC Channel 3 in Cleveland. NBC has a TV program called FAME, where different people perform. (I haven't watched it myself.) Watchers are invited to call in their votes for the best performer. The lady, who has a residential line nowhere near where this program is aired, started getting calls from people wanting to vote for their choices. Her number was nothing like the number they advertised. She reported the problem to her phone company, and they couldn't explain why this was happening. Even during the interview, her phone was ringing constantly. No sooner would she hang up from one call, the phone would ring with another caller wanting to vote. By the time we saw this on TV, the report had been sent to NBC or the producers of the show, and they couldn't explain it. Amazingly, the problem was not solved by the next time the show aired. This lady was a good sport, so she started just writing down the votes and reporting her counts to NBC. I hope they pay her some BIG $$$ for her trouble. She stayed up till 3:00 a.m. till after the show was aired on the West Coast because calls came from there, too. She said when she got really tired, she did unplug her phone and go on to bed. The reporters on the local news said that NBC and the show's producers were blaming the "contractor" for the phone service for the problem. If that is true, I hope that contractor is required to pay a big fine for causing so much inconvenience to a residential phone subscriber who had not contracted to take those calls. I hope they pay the lady well, too. She should not have to unplug her phone to get a good night's sleep. After all, unplugging her phone means that people really needing to call her can't get through. Why would it take more than a day to find where that lady's number is entered into the contractor's system? Computers have had Find functions for years and years. And most big phone systems are run by computers, aren't they? Even scarier is the idea that some rogue company (psychoterrorists?) with a computer could start redirecting calls from anywhere to anyone's residential line and deny them the use of their phone. I have had only one time when a telemarketer's computer got stuck on our line and kept calling us over and over. We had to unplug our phone for a while to get it to stop. Gail in Ohio NE USA [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What may have happened to her is what happened to me once many years ago. I had an office in downtown Chicago with a single line and the phone number 312-Webster-9-4600. It took me a while to figure it out. The phone was ringing almost constantly and the people were getting the same wrong number. They all wanted something at Sears, Roebuck. The Sears State Street store downtown was 312-WABash-2-4600. Same last four digits but where I had a single line phone with one number, Sears State Street (main headquarters for Chicago at that time) had a big five-position cord board which literally rocked around the clock with incoming calls to their credit and customer service offices. Once I took a few minutes to analyze it (as I had to do if I was going to get any peace and quiet that day) I started asking the callers 'what number are you calling from?' and *every single one of the calls* was coming from the Beverly CO on the southwest side of Chicago. I reported that to a contact at Illinois Bell's Repair Bureau. They looked into it and got back to me to say that "early this morning (this was in the early 1970's) the Beverly office was cut over to ESS from crossbar; some fool there got his translations wrong. For some reason he had 312-922 set to ring on 312-939; and we have now cured it; thanks for letting us know." Now Gail, ESS is all old-hat; no more conversions like that anywhere I do not think, but the problem is somebody with some translation errors somewhere in this great land of ours, wherever NBC reaches with its signal and requests for people to 'vote'. You are not going to get anywhere talking to the old lady or the people at her telephone company. Calls to 700,800,900 and a few other 'area codes' are most likely translated into some other number and sent on their way. To get to the bottom of this matter, either her local telco (as the recipient of the calls, as a courtesy to the old lady) or the old lady herself, posing as an Ernestine-style phone operator should demand to know what number the caller was calling from, and make a list of those numbers, then look for commonalities in all of them. Same central office serving all of them from somewhere? Same geographic community where all the traffic gets forwarded through one toll switcher, etc? You are going to find something in common between all those excited callers who are trying to vote. NBC (or Fox, any of the networks) has such a humongous volume of viewers in *any* city that a 'contest' or 'voting' is going to stir up a huge number of viewers, thus a huge number of end-calls winding up with the old lady. Now maybe two or more central offices are involved since the same 'contractor' might have gone through them, but its not as likely. I think what you will find is that some one central office or perhaps some toll switcher like AT&T's machines was programmed incorrectly on how to handle those calls. Mainly though you have to begin on any of these affairs (some huge number of almost constantly ringing wrong numbers) is begin by finding out WHO is calling, and then finding something in common between them. What telco should have done, IMO, was began intercepting all of the old lady's inbound traffic, interogated the callers, and passed along to her what little if any was actually her traffic then inter-company billed the telco which made the error, for further chargeback to the responsible 'contractor' if there was such and not just a telco itself. PAT] ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: Wi-Fi at Logan Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 03:48:01 GMT On Sun, 6 Jul 2003 17:43:25 UTC, dold@Wi-FiXatXL.usenet.us.com wrote: > That would put them at least a year behind Dallas-Fort Worth, and Fort > Lauderdale, who already have free WiFi in the terminals. Nonsense. By the time they do three iterations of the specs, rebid it three times, redesign it again to meet union objections, find a defeated ex-politico to manage it at twice the going rate, then implement it, screw it up, finally correct it, eventually produce something that does half of what it was supposed to do originally -- it will be at least 5 years behind everyone else in both delivery and capabilities. Obviously you don't know Massport very well. Bob ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: Ambush TV / Pranks May Be Funny, but Victims May Get Last Laugh Date: 7 Jul 2003 05:54:16 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Monty Solomon wrote in message news:: > (AP) By ABCNEWS.com > June 27 - The original Candid Camera was never like this. Today's > reality shows are pulling pranks on people that are more daring, more > outrageous, and scarier than ever before - and everyone is fair game. > In the jargon of the new TV trend, you can be the subject of a scare > tactic, you can be "Ex'd," and you can be "Punk'd" - like celebrity > Justin Timberlake was. > The pop idol was visibly shaken when he believed he was being evicted > from his home for failing to pay back-taxes - a prank set up by the > MTV show Punk'd. > In an episode of Scare Tactics, a young woman camping in the woods > with friends is terrified after seeing a masked man with a machete > peer into the cabin. She's upset and frightened - and then, her > friends not only tell her it's all a joke, they also tell her she's > on a reality television show. > http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/entertainment/062703_ent_ambush_tv.html > [Lisa Minter note: I think those shows are all mean and hateful. I am > told many people refuse to sign off giving permission for that junk > to be shown on television. Lisa M.] To quote my parents from years past - "Some people have all their taste in their mouths." Rodgers Platt ------------------------------ From: pierrot@verizon.net (Pierrot) Subject: Re: Vonage/Cisco ATA - Incoming Calls Date: 7 Jul 2003 06:04:08 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Pat, You would not hear a busy signal on your Vonage line. It would be the people trying to call you. And it is real difficult to find out how many people got a busy signal (and not your voice mail) while atempting to call you. Pierre > phrase to me implies the caller hears a 'busy signal'. I have never > heard a 'busy signal' on my Vonage phone. pierrot@verizon.net (Pierrot) wrote in message news:: > Consumer Reports (June 2003) says that during one of their test trials > approximately 25% of incoming calls rang busy while calling a > Vonage/Cisco ATA phone, even though the line was available. On the > second attempt most of the calls went through. > Have you heard this before ? Was it due to the DSL/Cable ISP used ? > Pierre > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We have gone through this before here, > in recent days. What does the magazine mean by 'rang busy'?. That > phrase to me implies the caller hears a 'busy signal'. I have never > heard a 'busy signal' on my Vonage phone. A couple times my incoming > calls were transferred (inappropriatly, I thought) to Voicemail. But > I always later on got the voicemail messages. For my money, I still > think Vonage is a good deal. Anyone who wants to try out Vonage for > a month of free service (the *second month* is the 'free month') can > send me email and ask for an e-coupon. Send me email marked 'not for > pub' and ask for a test drive on Vonage. PAT] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But I have called *myself, my own Vonage number* (both of them actually) from independent, non-Vonage related telephones. For example from *my* cell phone to my Vonage number; from *my* wired line phone to my Vonage number; from my friend's cell phone to my Vonage phones. In all those at random tests, where both the 'calling phone' and the Vonage phone were in my direct visual and audible supervision (on the same desk, in the same room), *never once* did I (as the 'caller') ever hear a 'busy signal'. On two occassions Vonage did not ring, either, for whatever reason! But I did recieve a message (from myself to myself) in voicemail later on. See the second above this paragraph. I still gladly give out e-coupons for a free month of Vonage service if you just ask for one. And as soon as you register your number for '911 service' then you could get rid of your landline phone entirely if you wanted to. I don't have any love lost for Southwestern Bell in case you had not noticed. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 09:36:35 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Future Was so Bright Wired's techno-idealism jolted America before it flamed out. Gary Wolf's new book vividly recalls the magazine's wild and woolly saga, but leaves the big question hanging: Was it right? By Andrew Leonard July 7, 2003 | "We are here to sell the whole culture," Kevin Kelly, Wired magazine's executive editor, told me, as he snatched hurried bites of a sandwich during a typically frenetic work day. The time was January, 1994; the place was Wired's first offices, on Second St. in San Francisco, overlooking the entrance to South Park, soon to become ground zero of the Internet economy. And the attitude? The attitude was all Wired: intelligent and arrogant, with a liberal dash of hype. I was a reporter for a local free weekly assigned to do a feature on the magazine, then barely a year old, but already sending fibrillations through the global media nervous system. Before I made my way to Kelly's office, I had to struggle through camera crews from Germany and CNN, and avoid being swamped by the confidence of the staffers strutting about with all the poise of digitally anointed true believers. The Internet was poised to break mainstream, the Web was just beginning to penetrate public awareness, and Wired was in the right place at the perfect time -- covering, participating, and aiming to profit from, the "revolution." http://www.salon.com/tech/books/2003/07/07/wired/ ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: Re: Craw-Kan Phones Shut Down Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 16:24:29 GMT No RACES/ARES activity in support of emergency communications? On Sun, 6 Jul 2003 10:43:14 PDT, Lisa Minter wrote: > Crawford County, Kansas - (Story taken in part from Independence > Sunday Reporter, July 6): Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton and her > deputies had their hands full just before the Independence Day > Holiday. Craw-Kan Communications System (what was formerly known as > the Crawford County Telephone Cooperative) was out of order all of one > day and part of the next. According to Sheriff Horton, Craw-Kan's > entire system crashed for no apparent reason, killing phone service to > the rural areas of Crawford County for all of one day, then again for > part of another day. The rural county of 36,000 consists of Pittsburg, > a university town of 18,000 served by Southwestern Bell and a dozen or > so other small towns and villages (the largest of which is Girard, the > county seat with a population of about 2500) which are served by the > rural telephone cooperative (now Craw-Kan). The telephone technician, > attempted several times to reboot the system without success which > continued to crash periodically throughout the remainder of the day > and part of the next day. > Horton instructed the deputies to go to the various town offices > thoughout the county to relay any complaints by radio, and residents > were expected to walk to the town hall or village office to seek any > assistance required on an emergency basis. Most of the towns in > Crawford County are too small to have any police force of their own > except for Girard and Pittsburg with their own police departments. > Horton's four deputies served the small towns of Arcadia, McCune and > Walnut by radio from the town offices. The phone system got repaired > and back on line early the next morning. Although telephones in > Pittsburg are 620-231 and 620-232, in other parts of the county they > are 620-226, 620-754 and 620-763. > Lisa Minter Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. [Lisa Minter note: There were three or four amateur radio operators and citizen band radio operators who also volunteered to help as needed, and were prepared to get into relay service full time as of the next morning if the phones had not come back up, which they did. Remember, we do not have big city conditions here. The Crawford Sheriff said on a 'busy day' there are *TWO* calls to 911, it averages out to point five (.5) calls per day usually, not like Tulsa or Wichita where the 911 dispatchers get a hundred calls in a day's time. Lisa M.] [TEL Ed: Or Chicago, where the volume is more like 100 calls per hour, or a couple thousand per day. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #555 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jul 8 20:31:02 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h690V1q04824; Tue, 8 Jul 2003 20:31:02 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 20:31:02 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307090031.h690V1q04824@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #556 TELECOM Digest Tue, 8 Jul 2003 20:30:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 556 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter "Transition Wizard" Package Includes Spyware (Richard Harris) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (John McHarry) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues ('nuther Bob) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (jmeissen@aracnet.com) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (Dave Garland) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (John Higdon) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (J Kelly) RFID on Your Wrist - Speedpass-Enabled Timex Watch (Monty Solomon) RFID Site Security Gaffe Uncovered by Consumer Group (Monty Solomon) Adobe Acrobat and PDF security: No Improvements For 2 Years (M Solomon) Lauren Weinstein - RFID - 7/9/03 Coast to Coast AM (Monty Solomon) Re: Wi-Fi at Logan (Joey Lindstrom) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Telephone Votes Sent to Wrong Number (Ken Becker) Re: Vonage/Cisco ATA - Incoming Calls (Seises de Corazones) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (Ed Gibbs) Siemens Rolm Mod 10 CBX 9000 Complete w/Phonemail for Sale (Ed Dibeler) How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! (Freespeechstore) So I am Spamming; I Have an Important Question (Jake Dempsey) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Harris Subject: "Transition Wizard" Package Includes Spyware Organization: Comcast Online Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 22:51:18 GMT 7-8-03 Brian Roberts President, CEO C/O Comcast 1500 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 Dear Brian, I wanted to make you aware of an error that was committed by Comcast when it misrepresented the nature of its "Transition Wizard," to every Attbi customer who was being migrated from Attbi to Comcast. The piece of software which your company implored everyone on the AT&T system to download, in your company's description, was to make the transition smoother. However, unannounced, but also contained in the wizard, was another bit of code (software) which purposefully attacked/affected every one of your new customer's browsers. Microsoft tech support called it "virus like," as did Joanne in your customer service facility in Denver. Every computer/internet expert (many in Boulder) informed me that Comcast intended to use this new add-on as a spy to report, possibly for marketing goals, on people's browsing habits. While your customer service department and tech support department act/acted like Bevis and Butthead at every turn of my attempting to unravel my computer and consumer problem, it seems QWEST was/is seizing this opportunity by offering fantastic deals to all Comcast telephone subscribers and soon internet subscribers. All Comcast had to do was admit their mistake and honestly attempt to right it. Instead the problem grows (look at the internet chat-rooms and newspaper articles in the next week) and the company's credibility plummets day after day on the internet. Don't you folks understand, you are like a utility, trust is essential! Comcast destroyed that trust and does not want to fix it. I demand all customers be notified of the problem, immediately, and a fix of some sort be offered to all. You need to hire some people whose heads are out of the sand. Finally, I would like to see a public apology for Comcast's betrayal of the public trust. Richard Harris ra.harris@comcast.net CC by Mail to Boulder City Council BBB Denver Post ------------------------------ From: John McHarry Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 20:16:14 -0400 Monty Solomon wrote: > By David Kravets, Associated Press, 7/6/2003 > SAN FRANCISCO -- Courthouses have long been considered stodgy > institutions, foreign to the public they serve. The Internet has made > them a little less detached, offering the ability to pay tickets, > attend traffic school, even monitor dockets online. But most of the > documents available at the courthouse are not online, either for lack > of funding and technology or due to concerns that not all public > records should be so easily available. > As state court officials across the nation ponder whether and how to > make courthouses Internet-friendly, policy makers from California to > New York are shielding many otherwise readily available records from > cyberspace. > http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/187/nation/Online_court_records_raise _privacy_issues+.shtml > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Privacy' has no place in the same > sentence as 'open and public judicial proceedings'. Here in the USA > we have a system of open and public trials. Anyone is invited to > walk in the courthouse and watch the trials going on. Would you want > it any other way? There are exceptions of course, but generally we > do not have secret trials in the middle of the night with people > then shipped off to prisons, etc. ... PAT speaks wisely here. If a court record is "public", and most are, there should be no restriction against putting it on the 'net. Those who oppose doing so likely have an economic interest in selling the information to those interested enough to pay. Sure, there is a lot of dirt and allegations in court records, but those interested in digging it out can do so now. ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 02:18:40 GMT On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 16:31:43 GMT, 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) wrote: > May I please have your SSN, full name and address, and post that on > the web for all the world to see? Ah yes, that would be the "SSN that is *not* to be used for identification purposes", right ? Bob ------------------------------ From: jmeissen@aracnet.com Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: 8 Jul 2003 03:58:30 GMT Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com In article , John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126) <6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com> wrote: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Privacy' has no place in the same >> sentence as 'open and public judicial proceedings'. > Yes, it does. > Making all details regarding participants in civil matters exposes > them to identity theft. > If you have ever filed for bankruptcy, your SSN, full name and address > are now part of the court record. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Putting those records on the Internet > does nothing a dedicated snooper could not do by sitting down at your > local courthouse and copying the files by hand. Your problem obviously > is with the idea of having an open judicial system in this country. I agree with the original poster. The difference is in the one case your information is available to a local resident, and there would probably be some sort of audit trail regarding access to records (I can't say for sure, I've never done it). In the other case you're making the information available to anyone in the world with a web browser, with no accountability. John Meissen jmeissen@aracnet.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: So then your complaint is not with the concept of open and public trials here in the United States as with some of our readers, but rather, with the speed and relative anominity with which the Internet has become famous in recent years? You probably would agree it is not desirable for everyone to have all the information they want. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 23:59:34 -0500 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) wrote: > Making all details regarding participants in civil matters exposes > them to identity theft. True. The obvious solution is to forbid use of SSN as an identifier (remember when SS cards had the legend "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION"?), and hold reporting agencies responsible for accuracy. Give them some reasonable amount of time to investigate and correct a reported problem, like 30 days. If errors (e.g. due to identity theft) haven't been corrected by then, make them liable for all subsequent real and consequential damages due to the erroneous information. Then the onus of ascertaining identity would be placed where it belongs, on the credit issuers and reporters. Of course, the financial industry would hate it. Which is why it won't happen. ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 08:06:09 -0700 In article , 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) wrote: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Privacy' has no place in the same >> sentence as 'open and public judicial proceedings'. > Yes, it does. > Making all details regarding participants in civil matters exposes > them to identity theft. > If you have ever filed for bankruptcy, your SSN, full name and address > are now part of the court record. And that is a public record. "Public" means that it can be seen by the public. It does not mean "sort of public" and that one must jump through hoops first, such as traveling to a court house clerk's office, or waiting in line, or whatever. Those methods of viewing court records were a function of a lack of better technology, not devised as a method for making access to public records "semi-restricted". > May I please have your SSN, full name and address, and post that on > the web for all the world to see? Anyone can already get all of that information and more on anyone else by using the web. Where have YOU been? > Kinda puts a different light on the issue. > > Things change. They already have. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Putting those records on the Internet > does nothing a dedicated snooper could not do by sitting down at your > local courthouse and copying the files by hand. Your problem obviously > is with the idea of having an open judicial system in this country. The > Internet has added nothing except the convenience of automated reporting > to a system that was around from even before my time. If you want to > complain about something, then complain how people's morals and ethics > in the handling of 'sensitive' information have not kept pace with the > speed of technology, but don't blame the technology. PAT] I couldn't agree more. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 18:17:34 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126) (6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com): >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Privacy' has no place in the same >> sentence as 'open and public judicial proceedings'. > Yes, it does. > Making all details regarding participants in civil matters exposes > them to identity theft. So don't place the critical stuff like SSN's online. Everything else belongs online. > May I please have your SSN, full name and address, and post that on > the web for all the world to see? The names and addresses in most court cases are already archived and publically available. Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net "Microsoft must think they're a navy, they open so many ports." --Ben Scott on the ISP-TECH mailing list, 18 June 2003 ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 16:17:38 -0500 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Reply-To: usenet200306@screamingelectron.net On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 16:31:43 GMT, 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) wrote: >[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Putting those records on the Internet >does nothing a dedicated snooper could not do by sitting down at your >local courthouse and copying the files by hand. Except now a snoop can do it from 2000 miles away, where nobody can see him, and go through the court records from hundreds of courthouses in one day, making it much easier to steal the identities of dozens, maybe hundreds, of people. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Snoops could and did do it from 2000 miles away before also, but it took longer than one day to steal all the identities. They had to write letters in snail mail to the various courthouse clerks (no secret where the clerks were located) and in their letter(s) they would invoke the Freedom of Information Act, specify the desired file, offer to pay the appropriate copying costs, and wait a few days for the mail to get to the clerk, get acted upon, and returned to them. The routine has been around for many, many years. All that has changed is the technology. But Uncle Sam is no dummy, and he knows that many people who are *too lazy* or *too dumb* to go to a lot of effort to break the law will be prompted or encouraged to do so as the 'system' gets easier to use. That may be why Trans Union for one instance, has picture posters of a very angry looking Uncle Sam with his lips pursed and his finger across his lips staring down at terminal operators in many offices where credit reports are 'pulled' on behalf of corporate clients. Are you familiar with the kind of ink and coloring that is used so that from any angle in a room when you look at a picture it appears the eyes are following you around the room? Whenever you look up at one of those posters, it appears Uncle Sam is looking right at you. It gives some people creeps when they see that picture poster looking right at them. And superimposed on this stern staring face is the message, "Uncle Sam wants YOU to keep the trust. (fingers across lips). YOU have been entrusted by your employer to correctly handle sensitive personal information. Under the law, if you violate that trust placed in you by your employer and the United States, you could be sent to prison for up to ten years!" It then continues in somewhat smaller print, "NEVER discuss your work outside of your work place. NEVER allow anyone on the telephone who claims to be an 'important officer at your company' to trick you into revealing things like your terminal password or details which are printed out on your terminal. No superior employee is going to ask you to jeopardize yourself by violating the trust you have been given; IMMEDIATLY tell your supervisor of any requests recieved like that from a co-worker or on the telephone. If you ever want to speak to us in total confidence regarding your company, a co-worker or a person who has claimed to be your 'friend', you may call us 24 hours per day at 800-(some number). As long as YOU keep the trust, we will protect your privacy also." It was signed by some person at the Federal Trade Commission, with an address, etc. Your complaint needs to be with the people who break the law, not the people who have improved on the data transfer mechanism. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2003 21:43:25 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: RFID on Your Wrist - Speedpass-Enabled Timex Watch http://www.speedpass.com/news/article.jsp?id=51 http://www.timex.com/speedpass/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 02:08:36 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: RFID Site Security Gaffe Uncovered by Consumer Group CASPIAN asks, "How can we trust these people with our personal data?" CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) says anyone can download revealing documents labeled "confidential" from the home page of the MIT Auto-ID Center web site in two mouse clicks. The Auto-ID Center is the organization entrusted with developing a global Internet infrastructure for radio frequency identification (RFID). Their plans are to tag all the objects manufactured on the planet with RFID chips and track them via the Internet. Privacy advocates are alarmed about the Center's plans because RFID technology could enable businesses to collect an unprecedented amount of information about consumers' possessions and physical movements. They point out that consumers might not even know they're being surveilled since tiny RFID chips can be embedded in plastic, sewn into the seams of garments, or otherwise hidden. http://www.nocards.org/press/pressrelease07-07-03_1.shtml ------------------------------ Reply-To: Monty Solomon From: Monty Solomon Subject: Adobe Acrobat and PDF Security: no Improvements For 2 Years Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 11:58:00 -0400 Adobe Acrobat and PDF security: no improvements for 2 years. Software released in 2003 contains vulnerabilities disclosured in 2001 July 8, 2003 SUMMARY ====================================================================== In early 2001, we have discovered a serious security flaw in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat Reader. In July, 2001, we've briefly described it in "eBook Security: Theory and Practice" speech on DefCon security conference. Since there was no reaction from Adobe (though Adobe representative has attended the conference), we have reported this vulnerability to CERT in September, 2002 (after more than a year), still not disclosing technical details to the public. Only in March, 2003, CERT Vulnerability Note (VU#549913) has been published, and after a week, Adobe has responded officially (for the first time) issuing the Vendor Statement (JSHA-5EZQGZ), promising to fix the problem in new versions of Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader software expected in the second quarter of 2003. When these versions became available, we have found that though some minor improvements have been made, the whole Adobe security model is still very vulnerable, and so sent a follow-up to both CERT and Adobe. Both parties failed to respond. Below is the full story. http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/vulnwatch/2003-q3/0011.html ------------------------------ Reply-To: Monty Solomon From: Monty Solomon Subject: Lauren Weinstein - RFID - 7/9/03 Coast to Coast AM Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 18:06:33 -0400 Lauren Weinstein -Electronic Tracking- vortex.com Lauren Weinstein (vortex.com), the creator of the PRIVACY Forum, will be discussing new developments and implications for tracking technology such as Auto ID and Darpa. http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2003/07/09.html http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guests/12.html ------------------------------ From: Joey Lindstrom Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 11:58:55 -0600 Subject: Re: Wi-Fi at Logan Reply-To: joey@telussucks.info On Mon, 7 Jul 2003 21:34:11 -0400 (EDT), 'nuther Bob wrote: > On Sun, 6 Jul 2003 17:43:25 UTC, dold@Wi-FiXatXL.usenet.us.com wrote: >> That would put them at least a year behind Dallas-Fort Worth, and Fort >> Lauderdale, who already have free WiFi in the terminals. > Nonsense. By the time they do three iterations of the specs, rebid it > three times, redesign it again to meet union objections, find a > defeated ex-politico to manage it at twice the going rate, then > implement it, screw it up, finally correct it, eventually produce > something that does half of what it was supposed to do originally -- it > will be at least 5 years behind everyone else in both delivery and > capabilities. Obviously you don't know Massport very well. You've missed, I think, another important point. The original message about this spoke of "revenues" and how they would be shared between the airport, the company putting the system in, and so on. This, to me, sounds like a user-pays system. The writer to whom you are replying indicates that the Texas airport Wi-Fi systems are "free". So Massport will be five years behind the times and will charge for services other airports offer for free. Is this painting a better picture of Massport? :-) (Given these ridiculous airport charges that they add to your ticket or, better yet, demand from your pocket before you get on the plane - which is fun if you're flying internationally and aren't carrying any "local" currency - a service like this *SHOULD* be free. We've paid for it already, dammit!) -- Joey Lindstrom ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 18:18:48 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From Tom Betz (tbetz@pobox.com): > Minor flaws? MINOR flaws? > Okay, so I guess you won't mind if I find out what your phone number > is and de-list it without bothering to tell you. > And you won't mind if I set up a bot that will check ever couple of > weeks to see whether you've re-listed your number and automatically > de-list you again. > The way AT&T has set up this site for the FTC, there's nothing to stop > me (or anyone else, including a telemarketing sleaze) from doing that. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here again, we have a case of getting > into things not your own (someone else's phone number) and forging a > document or three for your own interests, then blaming *your own > dishonesty* Pat is so far wrong here that he's not even in the same area code as Tom ... Tom wasn't claiming he'd do such a thing. Reasonable steps need to be taken to lock down the data. Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net "Microsoft must think they're a navy, they open so many ports." --Ben Scott on the ISP-TECH mailing list, 18 June 2003 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 22:24:04 -0400 From: Ken Becker Subject: Re: Telephone Votes Sent to Wrong Number Gail M. Hall wrote: > I'm amazed I haven't seen mention of this story yet. > The other night on our local news, they intereviewed an elderly woman > who lives in Ashtabula, OH, if I remember right. I don't know if the > story is still on the channel's web site. I did see the report on > WKYC Channel 3 in Cleveland. > NBC has a TV program called FAME, where different people perform. (I > haven't watched it myself.) Watchers are invited to call in their > votes for the best performer. > The lady, who has a residential line nowhere near where this program > is aired, started getting calls from people wanting to vote for their > choices. Her number was nothing like the number they advertised. She > reported the problem to her phone company, and they couldn't explain > why this was happening. Even during the interview, her phone was > ringing constantly. No sooner would she hang up from one call, the > phone would ring with another caller wanting to vote. > By the time we saw this on TV, the report had been sent to NBC or the > producers of the show, and they couldn't explain it. Amazingly, the > problem was not solved by the next time the show aired. > This lady was a good sport, so she started just writing down the votes > and reporting her counts to NBC. > I hope they pay her some BIG $$$ for her trouble. She stayed up till > 3:00 a.m. till after the show was aired on the West Coast because > calls came from there, too. > She said when she got really tired, she did unplug her phone and go on > to bed. > The reporters on the local news said that NBC and the show's producers > were blaming the "contractor" for the phone service for the problem. > If that is true, I hope that contractor is required to pay a big fine > for causing so much inconvenience to a residential phone subscriber > who had not contracted to take those calls. I hope they pay the lady > well, too. She should not have to unplug her phone to get a good > night's sleep. After all, unplugging her phone means that people > really needing to call her can't get through. > Why would it take more than a day to find where that lady's number is > entered into the contractor's system? Computers have had Find > functions for years and years. And most big phone systems are run by > computers, aren't they? > Even scarier is the idea that some rogue company (psychoterrorists?) > with a computer could start redirecting calls from anywhere to > anyone's residential line and deny them the use of their phone. > I have had only one time when a telemarketer's computer got stuck on > our line and kept calling us over and over. We had to unplug our > phone for a while to get it to stop. > Gail in Ohio NE USA --- Big snip of Pat's stuff --- Chances are that this isn't quite like your experience, Pat. Quite often with toll free calls the call the to (800)-type number is forwarded to a POTS phone, usually at a business. These forwards can be rigged to move around the world as the hours pass by (calls during the day go to Indiana, say, calls at night go to India), can roll over to additional numbers if the volume picks up, and so on. Chances are that whoever arranged for the voting numbers either gave the operator/what have you the wrong number or there 'twas a slip twixt ear and finger and it got mistyped. However, this kind of stuff is so obvious it's a wonder that it couldn't be cleared up in a couple of minutes, certainly not a couple of days. Contractor, my butt: NBC is responsible. They hired the contractor so they're responsible for the contractor's expertise, or lack thereof. They owe the lady maybe 3x minimum wage for her time and hassle. Let's hope they do the right thing, ASAP. Ken Becker ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Vonage/Cisco ATA - Incoming Calls From: Seises de Corazones Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 04:38:04 GMT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But I have called *myself, my own > Vonage number* (both of them actually) from independent, non-Vonage > related telephones. For example from *my* cell phone to my Vonage > number; from *my* wired line phone to my Vonage number; from my friend's > cell phone to my Vonage phones. In all those at random tests, where > both the 'calling phone' and the Vonage phone were in my direct visual > and audible supervision (on the same desk, in the same room), *never > once* did I (as the 'caller') ever hear a 'busy signal'. On two > occassions Vonage did not ring, either, for whatever reason! But I did > recieve a message (from myself to myself) in voicemail later on. My brother and I both have Vonage and sometimes (10-20%) when we call each other, the other end only rings once. BUT it is one continuous ring until the other side either answers, or it gets transferred to voicemail. This happens both when I call him or he calls me. "Hey, you answered after just one ring." "It rang a few times." "No, just once." Has anybody else experienced this when calling from one Vonage number to another? > See the second above this paragraph. I still gladly give out e-coupons > for a free month of Vonage service if you just ask for one. And as > soon as you register your number for '911 service' then you could get > rid of your landline phone entirely if you wanted to. I don't have any > love lost for Southwestern Bell in case you had not noticed. PAT] Unless you have DirecTV and Tivo, which "phones home" once a month and uses the number it's calling from to verify account information, including physical location. Vonage doesn't handle this. Their website has said the "anticipate a solution shortly" for several months. Ted Rathkopf ------------------------------ From: egibbs@my-deja.com (Ed Gibbs) Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: 8 Jul 2003 04:42:51 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ OneNetNut wrote in message news:: > On 1 Jul 2003 05:04:03 -0700, egibbs@my-deja.com (Ed Gibbs) wrote > about his experiences recently. > I did some checking with some folks both inside and outside of MCI to > get the scoop on this. It seems that this is old news. MCI already > ID'd the problem and has put procedures in place to credit folks who > were affected. Not sure if the original poster was affected before > they zeroed in on it or not. Problem was corrected though and > affected customers are getting refunds or adjusted invoices. It is old news -- my problem began at the end of May. But as of June 26th they were still sending out incorrect bills. And as of July 1st the MCI billing department was aware of the problem, would tell me the correct charges, but would simply not send me a corrected bill. I have now received an invoice showing a full credit for the charges and zero balance due. But I had to raise holy hell in MCI's top management to get it. I will be saving that invoice, and all of the correspondence related to this case forever, just in case it pops up again in 6 months or 3 years, as I have read sometimes happens. I don't believe that any of this was really intentional on the part of MCI. I believe that the initial cause was a technical issue with Verizon equipment, just as MCI says. That isn't MCI's fault, though I could argue that since it appears to be a wide-spread issue it should have been caught with proper testing before they rolled the 101-0987 service out. It certainly wasn't my fault either, as I don't even have Verizon as a carrier. It is what happened afterward that drove me crazy. I expected to find people who would help me resolve the issue in MCI's customer service and billing departments. Instead I seemed to run into a never ending string of low-level employees and their managers who, in my opinion, sought to use the problem to make their own numbers look good without caring how they did it. They tried everything from telling me I had to switch my LD to MCI or they would bill me for the incorrect charges, to telling me the calls would be re-rated when they were not, to sending out a bill that that they knew was incorrect, to trying to maximize collection on that incorrect bill by having me make a partial payment without re-rating the calls. I really do believe that MCI's top management is trying to change the culture at MCI. Having had some personal experience with corporate culture change I know that it is not easy or quick. Unfortunately it usually flows from top to bottom, which means that the lower level people the ones who deal with the customer directly or manage those who do are usually the last to get it. Based on my personal experience I don't believe they've gotten it yet. At any rate my problem is solved, at least for now. I just wonder how many other people are still "trapped in a maze of twisty little passages." Ed Gibbs ------------------------------ From: ed@dibeler.com (Edward Dibeler) Subject: Siemens Rolm Mod 10 CBX 9000 complete w/phonemail for sale Date: 8 Jul 2003 05:42:50 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Rolm Mod-10 For Sale. Taking ANY offers. Inventory below with hardware report. PBX software release is 9005.6.80, phonemail release is 6.0. ed@dibeler.com 954.781.6536 Ext 102 Qty Model Description 1 9751010 10AC Phone System 1 Phonemail 6 SP 7654 Voicemail system 130+ RP400 Tan Display phone 10+ RP240 Tan basic phone 25+ Phone manuals Full feature description 25+ Phone guides Quick check feature breakdown 2 Attendant Console Operator Console Digital Ports Analog Ports DID Ports Trunk Ports T1 Ports 176 72 16 32 1 CBX/9000 INTERACTIVE CONFIGURATION INTERFACE 11:20:35 ON Friday 6/13/2003 COMMAND: LI MAPP LL ERROR: MNEMONIC IS NOT KNOWN - PLEASE RE-ENTER NOUN: MAP ALL HWMAP DISTRICT PAD TYPE SL TYPE Card address Card type Description DS 01/0101 UNI 1 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0102 UNI 2 ATI 8 ports analog DS 01/0103 UNI 3 DID8 8 ports DID DS 01/0104 UNI 4 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0105 UNI 5 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0106 UNI 6 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0107 UNI 7 ATI 8 ports digital DS 01/0108 UNI 8 COT 8 ports trunk DS 01/0109 UNI 9 COT 8 ports trunk DS 01/0110 UNI 10 ACC 1 port AT console DS 01/0111 UNI 11 DTR Dual tone receiver DS 01/0112 SLCSM 12 SLCSM Slave clock sync module DS 01/0113 UNI 13 VAC ???? DS 01/0114 UNI 14 T1 24 digital channels trunk DS 01/0115 UNI 15 TONE Tone sender DS 01/0116 UNI 16 ADC Advanced diagnostics DS 01/0117 TCL 17 TCL TDM controller DS 01/0118 SMIOC 18 SMIOC System monitor input/output DS 01/0121 CPU 21 CPU Central processing unit DS 01/0123 PDC 23 PDC Peripheral Device Controller DS 01/0124 DISK 24 DISK Disk drives DS 01/0201 UNI 1 COT 8 port trunk DS 01/0202 UNI 2 COT 8 port trunk DS 01/0203 UNI 3 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0204 UNI 4 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0205 UNI 5 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0206 UNI 6 ATI 8 ports analog DS 01/0207 UNI 7 ATI 8 ports analog DS 01/0208 UNI 8 CONF conference DS 01/0209 UNI 9 ATI 8 ports analog DS 01/0210 UNI 10 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0211 UNI 11 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0212 UNI 12 ATI 8 ports analog DS 01/0213 UNI 13 DID8 8 ports DID DS 01/0214 UNI 14 ATI 8 ports analog DS 01/0215 UNI 15 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0216 UNI 16 RLI 16 ports digital DS 01/0217 UNI 17 ATI 8 ports analog DS 01/0218 UNI 18 OPS8 8 ports off premise stations DS 01/0219 UNI 19 ATI 8 ports analog DS 01/0220 UNI 20 VAC ??? DS 01/0225 TXP 25 TXP TDM expander COUNT = 42 HARDWARE MAP RECORDS ------------------------------ From: freespeechstore@aol.com (Freespeechstore) Date: 08 Jul 2003 15:41:02 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Subject: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! http://freespeechstore.com/public/223_How_Bell_Canada_Handles_Death_Threat s_Through_Its_Server!.htm You will have to cut and paste. ------------------------------ From: JakeD@rosestudios.com (Jake Dempsey) Subject: So I am Spamming; I Have an Important Question Date: 8 Jul 2003 14:10:23 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ You may see this in other news groups, but I am wondering if if the dialtone providers in Mexico use the same standards as we do in the US. WE have a CTI product we would like to market in Mexico, but it will not work if the caller ID and DTMF tones and hangup signals aren't built the same. Any clues? ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. 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His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #556 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jul 10 02:27:49 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6A6Rnj27572; Thu, 10 Jul 2003 02:27:49 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 02:27:49 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307100627.h6A6Rnj27572@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #557 TELECOM Digest Thu, 10 Jul 2003 02:28:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 557 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Google Cache Raises Copyright Concerns (Monty Solomon) Wi-Fi Group Approves New Standard (Monty Solomon) Court Backs Thumbnail Image Linking (Monty Solomon) Bad News for [ATTBI/Comcast] Transition Wizard Users (Monty Solomon) McDonald's Serves up Wireless Web Access (Monty Solomon) AOL Updates Terms of Service (Monty Solomon) Wal-Mart Cancels 'Smart-Shelf' Trial (Monty Solomon) Motorola M12+ Timing Oncore GPS Timing Module (Monty Solomon) America Online Enhances Premium Voice Services (Monty Solomon) AT&T Executes Next Phase of WiFi Strategy; Offer Remote Access (Solomon) Re: Wi-Fi at Logan ('nuther Bob) Historical Autovon Recordings (Christopher R. Sabine, MSW) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (John McHarry) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (John Higdon) Re: "Transition Wizard" Package Includes Spyware ('nuther Bob) Transition Wizard; Maybe it is Coincidence, Maybe Not (Richard Harris) Stuck With Some Cable (Rick Bestany) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 21:29:06 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Google Cache Raises Copyright Concerns By Stefanie Olsen Staff Writer, CNET News.com Like other online publishers, The New York Times charges readers to access articles on its Web site. But why pay when you can use Google instead? Through a caching feature on the popular Google search site, people can sometimes call up snapshots of archived stories at NYTimes.com and other registration-only sites. The practice has proved a boon for readers hoping to track down Web pages that are no longer accessible at the original source, for whatever reason. But the feature has recently been putting Google at odds with some unhappy publishers. http://news.com.com/2100-1038-1024234.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Once again, I must remind those publishers such as NY Times who wish to use the Internet as their personal 'side- walk' to put things on display not to be so angry when people walk past and look at the displays and proceed to help themselves. I do not really expect Hollywood or the music publishers to know any better, but you'd think NYT would have caught on by now. Like court records and other proceedings you would prefer to have bought and paid for (if available at all) then DO NOT USE THE INTERNET. If you DO use the Internet then don't complain about how the stuff gets used. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 21:48:14 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Wi-Fi Group Approves New Standard By Richard Shim Staff Writer, CNET News.com Products that use the 802.11g standard received a clean bill of health from an influential industry group on Tuesday, further ensuring the popularity of the wireless networking technology. As expected, the recently finalized 802.11g standard was endorsed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which said it had certified its first batch of products for interoperability. The announcement means that those products have passed tests that prove they are compatible with one another. Someone using an approved PC Card should be able, for instance, to walk into any cafe with an approved access point and seamlessly connect to the network. An access point is essentially a radio transmitter linked to a wireless network. Industry insiders saw the certification of products using the 802.11g standard by the Wi-Fi Alliance largely as a rubber stamp of approval, because products using 802.11g-based components have been on the market for some time, and the latest version of the specification was seen as stable. The Standards Board Review Committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) approved the 802.11g specification as a standard in mid-June. http://news.com.com/2100-1039-1023951.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 22:10:36 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Court Backs Thumbnail Image Linking By Stefanie Olsen Staff Writer, CNET News.com Search engines' display of miniature images is fair use under copyright law, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, but the legality of presenting full-size renditions of visual works is yet to be determined. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision is a partial win for defendant Arriba Soft -- an image search engine now known as Ditto.com -- in its case against photographer Leslie Kelly. Kelly sued Arriba Soft in April 1999 for copyright infringement when the company's software had recorded miniatures, or thumbnails, and full sizes of Kelly's digital photos and made them accessible via its search engine. The court ruled that use of thumbnail images in search engines is legal, confirming an earlier ruling by the same court from February 2002. But the court withdrew a previous decision on the display of full-size images, which it had deemed out of the bounds of fair use because it was likely to harm the market for Kelly's work. That part of the ruling held Arriba Soft liable for copyright infringement for opening a new window to display full-size images, a practice known as in-line linking or framing. Other visual search engines have used this technique, including Google, Lycos and AltaVista. The case is now ordered to go to trial. http://news.com.com/2100-1025-1023629.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 22:37:51 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Bad News for [ATTBI/Comcast] Transition Wizard Users Excerpt from http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/29881#7283711 Bad News for Transition Wizard Users Any Comcast user that actually installed the Transition Wizard has given Comcast permission to do the following; 1) arbitrarily open and read your email without your knowledge and/or consent; 2) perform a credit check on you and then share that info with whomever they choose; 3) Perform firmware upgrades to your cable modem at their discretion, regardless of who owns it. You also agreed not to participate in any future class action suits that may be brought against Comcast for whatever reason. You agreed to this and more when you clicked on the "I Agree" button during the initial installation phase. This was not your typical software EULA (End User License Agreement), but rather the new "Comcast Service Agreement" and that my friends, was probably the primary purpose of trying to ram that software down subscribers throats. I downloaded the software a few days ago with the intent of installing to see how many times it tried to phone home prior to 6/30. My suspicions were up immediately when they offered it. It would have been very simple, as pointed out elsewhere, to simply email instructions on how to make the change. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 23:21:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: McDonald's Serves up Wireless Web Access By Ina Fried Staff Writer, CNET News.com SAN FRANCISCO--Would you like Internet access with your fries? McDonald's is convinced that, for many people, the answer is yes. However, even as it expands the number of restaurants offering wireless Internet access, company executives admit they are still trying to figure out the dollars and cents that will make the move add up. On Tuesday, the company announced a second trial of Wi-Fi access, announcing it has equipped dozens of restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area with the gear its customers need in order to surf the Web while wolfing down some Chicken McNuggets. Earlier this year, the company began offering service at 10 restaurants in Manhattan. But McDonald's is still trying to figure out what to charge patrons who want to use the Internet and how to share that revenue with those that offer the Internet service. http://news.com.com/2100-1039-1023844.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 19:31:57 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: AOL Updates Terms of Service AOL: Spam and chat don't mix By Jim Hu Staff Writer, CNET News.com America Online has released a revision of its terms of service agreement that expands the definition of spam beyond e-mail to include messaging and chat postings. Under the new terms of service -- AOL's first revision in five years -- the company says it will cancel memberships or prosecute members or others who send bulk messages through means other than e-mail. http://news.com.com/2100-1032-1024010.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 19:35:16 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Wal-Mart Cancels 'Smart-Shelf' Trial By Alorie Gilbert and Richard Shim Staff Writer, CNET News.com Wal-Mart Stores has unexpectedly canceled testing for an experimental wireless inventory control system, ending one of the first and most closely watched efforts to bring controversial radio frequency identification technology to store shelves in the United States. A Wal-Mart representative this week told CNET News.com that the retail giant will not conduct a planned trial of a so-called smart-shelf system with partner Gillette that was scheduled to begin last month at an outlet in Brockton, Mass., a Boston suburb. http://news.com.com/2100-1019-1023934.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 19:50:25 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola M12+ Timing Oncore GPS Timing Module Motorola Unveils Accurate GPS Timing Module to Offer Precision Timing Motorola's M12+ Timing Oncore Surpasses GPS Timing Industry Six Sigma Averages, Featuring Low Noise Performance of 2 NanoSeconds (2nS) FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., July 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT), the inventor of the low-cost, high performance Global Positioning System (GPS) timing module announced today the availability of the M12+ Timing Oncore. The new GPS timing module surpasses industry Six Sigma averages in accuracy by utilizing the latest timing algorithms developed by Motorola. An independent report from the United States Naval Observatory documents the results of extensive tests performed on the M12+ Timing Oncore and is available at www.motorola.com/gps . Banks, cellular network operators and airports are a few examples of the businesses that rely on accurate GPS timing for a variety of applications. Accurate GPS timing provides a fundamental building block needed to coordinate data and information flow securely through various systems, on a daily basis. By tagging data packets with a time and date stamp, it's transmission time and hence integrity can be monitored. Motorola's M12+ Timing Oncore enables industries that rely on GPS disciplined timing to have increased confidence in the accuracy and stability of their application. The product can be used in a system to monitor the accuracy of a clock over a certain length of time to become familiar with its patterns. By doing so, the customers' application can then readjust, reset and compensate for any potential timing errors that may occur within the clock. This is known as "disciplining" and Motorola's M12+ Oncore's low noise performance enables fast and accurate disciplining to occur. The low noise performance of 2 NanoSeconds (2nS) One Sigma holds tangible benefits in a clock disciplining application. The time taken to reach accuracy is substantially reduced, and 'held over' time extended, which allows the clock to 'free run' without support or maintenance which can provide better system performance while reducing costs. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34786973 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 08:55:15 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: America Online Enhances Premium Voice Services DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 9, 2003-- Continuing AOL's Fight Against Spam, Subscribers Can Reduce "Phone Spam" from Telemarketers, and Screen or Stop Calls from Unknown or Unwanted Callers AOL Listens to Members: AOL(R) Call Alert and AOL(R) Voicemail Users Will Be Able To Take Incoming Calls, or Redirect Callers to a Wireless Phone or Second Line Building on the convenience of America Online's popular suite of voice-related premium services, AOL is making several important enhancements to the AOL(R) Call Alert and AOL(R) Voicemail services that will make it even easier for members to manage incoming phone calls and important messages, and take greater control over their online and telephone privacy. Beginning this week, AOL Call Alert and AOL Voicemail subscribers will be able to take advantage of a new "telemarketing call reducer" feature that helps subscribers cut down on annoying telemarketing "phone spam" dialed by a computer. By selecting the "I Don't Know You" response, AOL Call Alert sends a special tone that will cause some telemarketing computers to think that the number dialed has been disconnected, making the computer drop the call and delete the number from its call list. If the caller is a person and not a computer, they will still hear the "I Don't Know You" message after the tone. In addition, later this summer, AOL Call Alert subscribers with a single phone line in the home will have the added option to answer calls while on the AOL service. When receiving an incoming call while on AOL, dial-up members using AOL Call Alert will have the ability to "answer the call" seamlessly while online. Members also will have the option to redirect the call to a wireless phone or another line in the home where they can take the call. And because the AOL Call Alert service is included with an AOL Voicemail subscription, these options will be available for AOL Voicemail users as well. To help AOL members have more control over their privacy, new privacy management features in both AOL Call Alert and AOL Voicemail now allow members connecting to AOL at any speed to screen or stop incoming calls with "private" or "unknown" numbers. Members can set preferences to accept all anonymous callers, block all anonymous callers or force anonymous callers to identify themselves before completing the call. They can also block specific callers from disturbing their online session. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34785549 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 08:58:09 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: AT&T Executes Next Phase of WiFi Strategy; Offers Remote Access Corporation is First to Use GRIC's New Global WiFi Roaming Service to Support Business Customers BEDMINSTER, N.J., July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T will begin offering remote wireless access to its industry-leading virtual private network services from more than 2,000 access points in at least 20 countries in the fourth quarter, making it even easier for travelers to seamlessly access their secure corporate networks from hotels and airports worldwide. This is the next phase of AT&T's commitment to deliver global innovative solutions, such as WiFi access, at scale for businesses and consumers. AT&T is the first carrier to adopt a new WiFi (802.11b) access service from GRIC Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: GRIC) of Milipitas, Calif. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34785576 ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: Wi-Fi at Logan Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 00:44:12 GMT On Tue, 08 Jul 2003 11:58:55 -0600, Joey Lindstrom wrote: > So Massport will be five years behind the times and will charge for > services other airports offer for free. Is this painting a better > picture of Massport? :-) I think you've got it :-) It takes a *lot* of money to pay for all the patronage jobs down there -- they look for every revenue making opportunity there is and cut every corner they can. Bob ------------------------------ From: Christopher R. Sabine, MSW Subject: Historical Autovon Recordings Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 20:53:50 -0400 Hello folks. I'm just wondering if there are any recordings available of old switching equipment on the U.S. Military's Autovon System. I've always been curious about what those old telephone calls sounded like in terms of the switching equipment they used (ring, busy tones, etc.). I'm especially curious about the overseas Autovon switches, as I understand overseas countries used fundementally different switching equipment on their networks than did North America. Thanks, Chris. ------------------------------ From: John McHarry Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 21:23:42 -0400 I think this is an argument for not making that information public at all, not for keeping it off the Internet. John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126 wrote: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Privacy' has no place in the same >> sentence as 'open and public judicial proceedings'. > Yes, it does. > Making all details regarding participants in civil matters exposes > them to identity theft. > If you have ever filed for bankruptcy, your SSN, full name and address > are now part of the court record. > May I please have your SSN, full name and address, and post that on > the web for all the world to see? > Kinda puts a different light on the issue. > Things change.... ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 18:32:46 -0700 In article , jmeissen@aracnet.com wrote: > I agree with the original poster. The difference is in the one case > your information is available to a local resident, and there would > probably be some sort of audit trail regarding access to records (I > can't say for sure, I've never done it). In the other case you're > making the information available to anyone in the world with a web > browser, with no accountability. As someone who routinely accesses court records, I can tell you that there is no log kept of people who access those records. For a nominal charge, they will even make certified copies for you ... but you are not required to furnish any information about yourself. The records anywhere are available to anyone who can afford to hire someone to go the the clerk's office and pick up copies, or who can afford to travel there himself. All the web does is bring down the cost of searching and obtaining public records. For someone preparing a case (or defending against a legal action) this is a godsend. I'll say it again: information is public or it is not. If it is, then it needs to be available without impediment to anyone who wishes to access it. Welcome to a free society. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: "Transition Wizard" Package Includes Spyware Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 16:41:23 GMT On Tue, 08 Jul 2003 22:51:18 GMT, Richard Harris wrote: > 7-8-03 > Brian Roberts President, CEO > C/O Comcast > 1500 Market Street > Philadelphia, PA 19102 > Dear Brian, > I wanted to make you aware of an error that was committed by Comcast > when it misrepresented the nature of its "Transition Wizard," to every > Attbi customer who was being migrated from Attbi to Comcast. It may also apparently installs "manage ware" on your machine in order to allow for Comcast to remote manage your desktop. Take a look at this, pulled from ne.internet.services: >> The so-called "update wizard" that Comcast has been unnecessarily >> pushing on (Windows) customers downloads something called "support >> tools" in C:\TEMP, IIRC. The support tools package installs, among >> other things, TGCmd.exe, which starts at boot time. TGCmd.exe is a >> chunk of spyware that : : >> This information was confirmed by taking a Windows 98 machine that >> was not being used and installing the update wizard and the >> support tools and looking at the changes. Other software may be >> installed by the wizard and tools package, including VNC and >> Apache, depending on your OS version. Note the installation of *VNC*. If this is true ( I have not personally confirmed it), any user without a firewall is open to having their desktop "taken over" by Comcast through VNC. They are also open to invasion from external sources since VNC uses a simple un-encoded password and it known to have security holes. Bob ------------------------------ From: Richard Harris Subject: Transition Wizard; Maybe it is Coincidence, Maybe Not Organization: Comcast Online Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 00:18:44 GMT Maybe it is coincidence, maybe not. When I started my adventure (got pissed) with Comcast's transition wizard and their handling of the problems associated with its installation, I cancelled my Comcast phone service and transferred it from Comcast to Qwest. Qwest offered me a much cheaper rate and a $100 switching fee and I wanted to show some measure of protest. My Comcast phone service was supposed to be switched today. This evidently requires Comcast to release my telephone numbers. Qwest told me tonight that Comcast is refusing to release my phone numbers to them. Richard Harris ra.harris@comcast.com ------------------------------ From: rick@rickbestany.net (Rick Bestany) Subject: Stuck With Some Cable Date: 9 Jul 2003 10:09:33 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hi, Thanks to an overzealous phone contractor, I am stuck with a 1000' foot spool of 50-pair, outdoor rated, non-gel filled telephone cable. It was ordered, vut, delivered and never used. I would like to recoup some of my losses and sell this cable. Can anyone give me an idea of a fair price, and how I would go about selling it? Already tried Ebay, and had no luck. Thanks, Rick Bestany Baltimore MD ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #557 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jul 10 04:07:08 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6A878006559; Thu, 10 Jul 2003 04:07:08 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 04:07:08 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307100807.h6A878006559@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #558 TELECOM Digest Thu, 10 Jul 2003 04:07:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 558 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Anonymous Remailer Pioneer Jailed (Marcus Jervis) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround ('nuther Bob) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (Geoff Welsh) Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! (John Bartley K7AAY) Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! (Joey Lindstrom) Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! (Name Withheld) Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! (Steven J. Sobol) Dialogic-Type Boards? (Tommy) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround (Steve Sobol) Siemens Hicom 300 E and Siemens Hicom 300 H (Edwin Loh) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (John David Galt) No NID, Phone Like Troubleshooting (KellBot) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Marcus Jervis Subject: Anonymous Remailer Pioneer Jailed Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 19:19:04 +0000 from- http://noisebox.dhs.org/remailer/gdbrown.html "An anonymous remailer is simply a computer connected to the Internet that forwards email or files to other addresses on the network. However, the dispositive function of a remailer is that it strips off the "header" part of the messages, which shows where the messages came from and who sent them. Thus, all the receiver of the message can tell about the messages origin is that it passed through the remailer. There are currently over one hundred publicly listed remailers worldwide. History: In 1988, Karl Kleinpaste created the first anonymous remailer. Mr. Kleinpaste saw the need for anonymity after visiting some of the more volatile discussion groups in which contributors did not wish to be identified, such as "alt.sexual.abuse.recovery." It took Kleinpaste only six hours to develop the first anonymous remailer. After developing the program, Kleinpaste offered the remailer to another newsgroup "rec.nude," which ultimately declined to use the software. Subsequently, Kleinpaste deployed what he dubbed as a "fire extinguisher," in efforts to quiet abusers of newsgroups to who complaints were filed. However, after being overwhelmed by the amount of abusers, he shut down that system. It was not until April 1993 that Kleinpaste reestablished his remailer, and then with a formidable list of forbidden uses. Around that same time, David Clunie, had developed an innovative anonymous posting system involving cryptography and offered it in October 1992. However, massive complaints led Clunie to ultimately shut the system down. The complaints were that Clunies anonymous server was taking up too much bandwidth in the South Pacific. Clunie denied the allegations, but nevertheless shut down the server in January of 1993. Consequently, Clunie immediately released his software into the public domain for everyone to use at their discretion. In November of 1992, the Internet was introduced to the most famous anonymous remailer of all, Johan Helsingius. Based upon the code written by Kleinpaste, Helsingius set up his own anonymous remailer, "anon.penet.fi" in his homeland of Finland. Although Helsingius originally had planned to limit the remailers use to Scandinavia, the pressure from the U.S. for a remailing service was too great. After caving into the demand for his service, Helsingius anonymous remailer rapidly became the most widely used remailer ever, with over 500,000 users and over 7,500 messages delivered each day." from- http://www.tuccille.com/scribble/nwatch/nw6.htm " ... America, too, is blessed with dissenters, including one who is in some personal peril for his stance. Karl Kleinpaste is something of an Internet pioneer he wrote the anonymous server software that, after modification, was used by the late, lamented anon.penet.fi before that service folded under police pressure. (Anonymous remailers let people send e-mail ... well ... anonymously, and receive replies the same way Big Brother tends to frown on such carryings-on. Anon.penet.fi was the most popular remailer before its recent demise.) While an accomplished programmer and computer professional, Kleinpaste is prone to the same errors as the rest of us when plumbing the mysteries of the 1040 form especially in 1991, when, he says, 'I did a Major Stupid'. Unlike most, though, Karl Kleinpaste actually went out and did his research, and though he doesn't oppose all taxes, he believes that he has legal grounds for challenging the income tax. I have a position on these matters that what I'm doing has the form of civil disobedience even though I've found the position I hold to be actually legally defensible and that by using such a form, I'm obligated to get some public view of my activities, which of course is why I put it all up on the Web pages. On his site, Kleinpaste has published a full record of his position, of his correspondence with the IRS and a warning against tussling with the tax man without proper preparation. Good advice considering the federales uneven record on listening to reasonable debate, but Karl is still free and documenting his travails on the Web. And as Karl goes, so go many online activists fighting the good fight with Web sites that function as combination phone banks and samizdat presses. Most would labor in anonymity, waiting for the occasional news snippet if technology hadn't tossed up such a powerful publication tool as the Internet." http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030425kleinpastereg7p7.asp Perjury may cost tax rebel more time Friday, April 25, 2003 By Torsten Ove, Post-Gazette Staff Writer The government wants additional prison time for Karl Frank Kleinpaste, a former Carnegie Mellon University computer programmer who last year tried unsuccessfully to convince a jury that he didn't have to pay taxes. He represented himself, even to the point of cross-examining himself on the stand, but ended up convicted in November of willful failure to pay taxes, tax evasion and making false loan applications. Now the U.S. attorney's office is asking a federal judge to give him extra prison time for perjury and deliberately "flooding the court with frivolous filings ... designed to waste the time and resources of the court and the government." U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster will sentence Kleinpaste, of South Beaver, on May 23, although that date may not be certain because the sentencing has already been postponed three times. Kleinpaste, who formerly worked for Lycos Inc., was facing about three years behind bars, but now could get more. In his motion for a higher sentence, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Conway blasted Kleinpaste for filing 47 pretrial motions with "no bases in law or in fact." Among the filings were some 100 pages of attempts to dismiss the indictment by arguing that U.S. District Court did not have jurisdiction, an affidavit claiming Kleinpaste is not a citizen of the United States, and a demand that Lancaster recuse himself from the case for not filling out a "declaration of impartiality" form Kleinpaste had prepared. Conway also cited Kleinpaste's "pleasure in bombarding the Internal Revenue Service with numerous nonsensical and ridiculous letters and other submissions." Kleinpaste had even sued the IRS and auditor Gavin Chafin, but the lawsuit was quickly dismissed. In addition to the filings, Conway said Kleinpaste should be punished for his long-term participation in tax fraud dating to 1994 and his attempts to convince others, on the radio and on his Web site, to stop paying their taxes. "By presenting arguments for not filing tax returns that he knew were incorrect," Conway said, "he risked misleading gullible individuals into believing that they also did not have to file their tax returns." Although Kleinpaste didn't belong to any tax protester group, most of his arguments parrot ideas commonly held by tax protesters, such as the claim that the IRS does not legally exist or that the income tax is voluntary. His trial was bizarre by any measure. He refused to hire a lawyer, electing to sit in the witness box and ask himself questions, then answer himself. He also told the jury he knew more about tax law than either the prosecutor or the judge. The jury deliberated about an hour before finding him guilty on all 10 counts. Also, April 19, 2003 article: http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_west/20030419wdigestp9.asp http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/052303_nw_taxprotester.html PA Tax Protester Gets 30 Months in Prison (Pittsburgh-AP) - May 23, 2003 A tax protester who insisted that the Internal Revenue Service can't tax him was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion. Former Carnegie Mellon University computer programmer Karl Kleinpaste in November was convicted for bank fraud and tax fraud dating to 1994. Federal prosecutors say Kleinpaste owes 189-thousand dollars in federal income tax. The bank fraud stems from Kleinpaste using copies of federal tax returns he didn't file in 1996 and 1997 to try to get a bank loan to build his home. As part of his sentence, Kleinpaste must file all of his delinquent tax returns when he is released from prison to serve five years' probation. He must also pay any taxes, interest and penalties. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-tax-protester,0,6650719.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines Tax Protester Gets Federal Prison Time By JOE MANDAK Associated Press Writer May 23, 2003, 5:53 PM EDT PITTSBURGH -- A self-styled tax protester who became an Internet celebrity for his views on the federal government was labeled a "leech" by a federal prosecutor, then sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Friday. "He's been sucking off society for 10 years," Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Conway said of Karl Frank Kleinpaste, 44, of Beaver County, west of Pittsburgh. Conway said Kleinpaste "sends his children to public schools, he drives on public roads" but has not contributed "one penny" to support those or other federally subsidized services since 1994. Kleinpaste also was ordered to file any delinquent tax returns and pay any taxes, interest and penalties once he is released from prison and placed on five year's probation. Kleinpaste will remain free until he reports to prison in about a month. Kleinpaste was convicted in November of eight tax charges and two counts of bank fraud. The bank fraud charges were filed because Kleinpaste submitted copies of federal tax returns for 1996 and 1997 to get a loan, even though he didn't file returns for those years. Although prosecutors say Kleinpaste hasn't paid taxes since 1994, he was charged and convicted of not filing returns from 1995 to 1999, and for tax evasion from 1995 to 1997. Tax evasion is more serious than simply failing to pay taxes; prosecutors said Kleinpaste filed documents with his employers to keep them from withholding his taxes, then tried to hide his income in bank accounts controlled by his wife. The government said Kleinpaste evaded paying $139,000 in federal taxes on income of about $490,000 for 1995-1997 alone, and that he owes the government at least $190,000 in unpaid tax. Kleinpaste and his attorney, public defender Jay Finkelstein, refused comment after the sentencing. Kleinpaste said nothing in his defense during the 80-minute sentencing hearing. But Finkelstein argued that a long prison sentence wasn't suitable given Kleinpaste's background. A computer whiz who has worked for Carnegie Mellon University, Kleinpaste was once best known for developing an anonymous Internet server. The technology let people send sensitive e-mails and other messages without divulging their identity. "Despite the government's efforts to demonize him, he's an asset to the community," Finkelstein said. "This gentleman is not an asset to the community, your honor. He's a leech" and will likely resume not paying his taxes once he is released, Conway said. People who oppose the federal tax system typically use several arguments. Some argue the 16th Amendment, which empowers government to collect the tax, wasn't properly ratified. Some, like Kleinpaste, say those taxing powers are limited only to federal territories -- Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, or military bases -- not directly controlled by any of the 50 states. His ideas are spread and shared by like-minded individuals, often on the Internet he helped revolutionize. But U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster wasn't buying those ideas. "I don't know if you think you're a hero or a martyr to an oppressive government," Lancaster said. But not paying taxes "doesn't make you a martyr, it doesn't make you a hero. It makes you a criminal, so you're going to pay a criminal's price." ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 18:27:16 GMT On 8 Jul 2003 04:42:51 -0700, egibbs@my-deja.com (Ed Gibbs) wrote: > At any rate my problem is solved, at least for now. I just wonder > how many other people are still "trapped in a maze of twisty little > passages." Reminds me of a personal story something like yours ... On my phone bill I got some charges from AT&T. Something like $13 for a 2 minute out of state call. Since they are not my LD provider, I called them up. When I got a rep on the phone, they said "sorry sir, we're not your LD provider". I told them "I know that", so why am I getting billed ? "Someone used an AT&T calling card" they said. I said "Oh really", I said, I don't *have* an AT&T calling card because I'm *not* a customer !" They puzzled over this for a while but refused to waive the charges. Eventually I figured out what had happened. Years ago, I had a (guess how old this is) New England Telephone calling card. It was tied to AT&T for long distance service. I stopped using the card years ago. Apparently, my wife made a call from a pay phone in the next state to me at home. She punched in the old calling card number. Since the call was from one state to another, the local Verizon CO handed it off to AT&T for the LD service then back to Verizon to get to me. Even though I don't have AT&T any longer as a provider, and even though Verizon could have handled the entire call now that they do LD service, the card was still tied to AT&T somehow. Since I was not an AT&T customer, I paid "non customer" rates of something like $6 to connect and $3/minute. I called AT&T and bitched a little more about the "non-customer" rates. After all, how can I have a calling card with them if I'm not a customer ? I wasted a fair amount of time on the phone with them and eventually decide it was not worth the effort to continue. To make sure that it didn't happen again accidentally, I called both AT&T and Verizon and tried to get the calling card canceled, but they both insist that it doesn't exist. Bob ------------------------------ From: Geoffrey Welsh Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 14:29:42 -0400 Organization: Bell Sympatico Ed Gibbs wrote: > Having had some personal experience with corporate > culture change I know that it is not easy or quick. ... or cheap, which is why I don't believe that 99% of the bigwigs who speak about commitment to things like culture change are sufficiently commited to the resources required to make their delcared public proclamations meaningful. Geoffrey Welsh This address is not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Unsolicited bulk mail is spam, no matter what regulations (real or imagined) it complies with! FIGHT SPAM AND SCAMS: DISCONNECT CHINA FROM THE INTERNET! ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 18:11:13 GMT Don't bother. Why? Requires login. 1. Upon registration and payment of $3.99, via a secured connection, all Users are entitled to twenty-four (24) hours of unlimited access to FreeSpeechStore.com, to include retrieval of speeches, data, etc. 2. Upon registration and payment of $40.00, via a secured connection, all Users are entitled to one (1) year or three hundred sixty-five (365) days of unlimited access to FreeSpeechStore.com, or the term of Business for the FreeSpeechStore.com, whichever is shorter, to include retrieval of speeches, data, etc. On 08 Jul 2003 15:41:02 GMT, freespeechstore@aol.com (Freespeechstore) wrote: http://freespeechstore.com/public/223_How_Bell_Canada_Handles_Death_Threats_Through_Its_Server!.htm > You will have to cut and paste. Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. ------------------------------ From: Joey Lindstrom Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 13:48:56 -0600 Subject: Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! Reply-To: joey@telussucks.info On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 20:31:02 -0400 (EDT), freespeechstore@aol.com wrote: http://freespeechstore.com/public/223_How_Bell_Canada_Handles_Death_Threats_Through_Its_Server!.htm > You will have to cut and paste. You will have to bite me, spammer. Your site is a pay site, ergo your post is spam. Speaking of threats, I find it interesting that, like most spammers, threats are your method of choice in dealing with those who might call you on your behaviour. I refer to our email conversation earlier today, in which you threatened to report me to my ISP - and then followed through on it, telling them that I "threaten libel". If anyone is at all interested in seeing how this cretin operates, I invite you to read a full transcript of those conversations, at: http://www.interocitor.net/freespeechstore.html (I won't charge you to access the site, nor will I require that you answer a whack of nosy questions first). -- Joey Lindstrom ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 02:18:02 GMT From: Name Withheld at Reader's Request Subject: Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! This is SPAM plain and simple. In order to read material on that web page, you have to pay! You can post for free but pay to read. You can go to the freespeechstore.com and see for yourself PAT. You know I've been on your list for a number of years ... Ugh! > From: freespeechstore@aol.com (Freespeechstore) > Date: 08 Jul 2003 15:41:02 GMT > Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com > Subject: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! http://freespeechstore.com/public/223_How_Bell_Canada_Handles_Death_Threats_Through_Its_Server!.htm > You will have to cut and paste. ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 02:47:15 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From Freespeechstore (freespeechstore@aol.com): http://freespeechstore.com/public/223_How_Bell_Canada_Handles_Death_Threats_Through_Its_Server!.htm > You will have to cut and paste. Please ignore this troll. He's been flooding news.admin.net-abuse.email for days if not weeks now ... it's probably the same kook who used to go by the name Jamie and complained whenever someone posted something in that newsgroup that he didn't like. Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net "Microsoft must think they're a navy, they open so many ports." --Ben Scott on the ISP-TECH mailing list, 18 June 2003 ------------------------------ From: tommynospam@yahoo.com (tommy) Subject: Dialogic-Type Boards? Date: 9 Jul 2003 12:56:25 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I'm looking for a Dialogic-type card that is a little less expensive than a Dialogic and was wondering if anyone had names of some of their competitors. I'm just looking for a PCI card, 2 telephone-line, that I can create custom voice applications in Linux. Thanks for the information. ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2003 02:48:24 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From Ed Gibbs (egibbs@my-deja.com): > I don't believe that any of this was really intentional on the part of > MCI. I'm sure it was intentional. > I really do believe that MCI's top management is trying to change the > culture at MCI. Bahahahaha. Forgive me if I don't share your optimism. :) Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net "Microsoft must think they're a navy, they open so many ports." --Ben Scott on the ISP-TECH mailing list, 18 June 2003 ------------------------------ From: edwinloh9168@yahoo.com (Edwin Loh) Subject: Siemens Hicom 300 E and Siemens Hicom 300 H Date: 8 Jul 2003 20:39:21 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I am interested in technical information on the Siemens PBX Hicom 300 E and especially on Siemens PBX 300 H. Although these products are not currently being produced for larger-scale domestic use, I imagine there is a certain amout of information available here. I would really appreciate any help on this topic. Is it possible for me to merge the Hicom 300 E module and card to Hicom 300 H rack ? ------------------------------ From: John David Galt Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 23:43:15 -0700 Organization: Diogenes the Cynic Hot-Tubbing Society > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Speaking of lawsuits filed by scourges > of the earth, have you heard that the tobacco manufacturers of the USA > have filed suit to renege on the unpaid portions of the settlement > they had agreed to pay to various states on the premise that the > settlement was *supposed* to be used to promote anti-tobacco use > education and treatment of deseases related to tobacco use. It seems > that most states have squandered that money on everything *but* While the tobacco case is not directly on-topic here, it seems to be the first of a whole series of cases in which companies get blamed when customers use their products irresponsibly. The recent attempts to sue fast-food outlets for "food addiction" are similar. Where will this insanity end? Will you similarly cheer when cellular phones disappear from the marketplace because Ralph Nader persuades a jury to blame their manufacturers for half the world's auto-accident deaths? I think both you and Ralph need a dose of reality. Take a look at nomorescares.com and consumerfreedom.com before you call for any other whole industry to be sued into nonexistence. Now that we've started down this path, your favorite industry *can* be the next target. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: May I ask who is the 'you' in this context? *I* didn't approve of the tobacco lawsuit! The end result was the cost of *my* cigarettes went sky-high. *I* don't approve of any of those silly lawsuits. Not a single one of them! I was simply observing as a passer by in this world that one bunch of no-goods (state govern- ments) had sucessfully sued another bunch of no-goods (big tobacco) and that when the no-goods of the second part lost big time and started making payments to the first bunch raising the cost of their product sky high they then thought of a creative way to weasel out of the court judgment (which should have never been entered in the first place were not the courts usually tools of oppressive governments) ... I will suggest a plague on both their houses! And I know I concluded that note by saying that regards suing tobacco companies, I personally would not have the required Brass Parts, ditto the Big Mac Company or the Booger Kings of the World for serving coffee that was 'too hot'. I am sorry you somehow thought that *I* was advocating that nonsense. And I speak as a person who first bought/used cigarettes when they were *twenty-four cents* per pack at Walgreens, but if you bought them in a mechanical vending machine the machines could not accept pennies nor make change so you had to put a quarter in the machine and in the pack of cigarettes dispensed the tobacco people slipped a penny back to you stuck in the cellophane wrapper, along with a book of matches. I began smoking as an intelligent young man of 12 when I realized how glamorous and sophisticated it made me appear. Some nearly fifty years later, after more than two months comotose in Stormont Vail Medical Center in Topeka followed by a month of intense therapy (three months with no cigarette at all!), the minute I first went out of the hospital was 'light up time' once again, just as I sit here now with a smoldering ashtray nearby. Those things *are* extremely addictive, but I would not have the nerve to sue. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dorkfish@fishtop.com (KellBot) Subject: No NID, Phone Like Troubleshooting Date: 9 Jul 2003 06:27:58 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I live in a rental house with exceptionally shoddy wiring. And our phone line is on the fritz. I called Verizon and my landlord. Verizon said they'd get someone out by Friday (when I called Monday) and my landlord said she'd have someone take a look at it. My landlord is a flake. So we're trying to figure this out ourselves. I have a basic knowledge of wiring, I've setup residential ethernet. We have no NID from the phone company. Our phone line goes from the telephone pole, across our backyard, and into the "basement" (crawlspace under the house). From there it splits into two solid copper wires, and connects to a dusty, rusty box where it turns into four wires, which then connect to another dusty scary box with a large knob in the middle. Currently our phone line gives us crackling noises, though sometimes it drops off, and sometimes we get a few seconds of dialtone. I realize I've done a pretty poor job of explaining this, but if anyone thinks they might recognize what the heck is going on, I can draw up a diagram that explains the situation better. Thanks so much, kelly [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Your imaginary 'Demarc' or Network Interface is where the wires from the pole attach to the wires which enter your property at the basement crawl space. If you can attach a telephone to the two wires from the pole at that spot, then if you cannot get satisfactory dial tone there, it is telco's problem. If you *can* get dialtone at that place (basement crawl space where telephone pole wires first connect) then it becomes your problem (or actually the landlord's problem). Assuming the worst, that the phone works okay at the place where the wires first enter the crawlspace, then if there are muliple dwelling places in this building, the landlord (or yourself) may be able to convince telco to absorb the repair cost and install an honest-to-God demarc somewhere. Not all telephone people are stingy and niggardly ogres. Some will approve doing the required work at no expense to you if they can be convinced it goes way back pre-divestiture and never had been dealt with previously. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #558 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jul 10 23:50:48 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6B3om623093; Thu, 10 Jul 2003 23:50:48 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 23:50:48 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307110350.h6B3om623093@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #559 TELECOM Digest Thu, 10 Jul 2003 23:51:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 559 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter CDT Headline: Senate Committee Zeros Out TIA Funds (Monty Solomon) WiFi Re-Connection Couldn't Be Performed With Long Distance (J Marechal) Shareholders Approve Amendment To Increase Communications (Eworldwire) Re: McDonald's Serves up Wireless Web Access (Clarence Dold) Problem "Registering" my Siemens 2410 - 2.4GHz Handsets (Response 2002) Connecting 3Com NBX to E1 from PSTN (Eric Liong) Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! (jmeissen@aracnet.com) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (jmeissen@aracnet.com) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (Barry Margolin) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (John Higdon) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (Herb Stein) Re: Stuck With Some Cable (John Hines) Must Be a Newbie Spammer (Dave Phelps) Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA Dialaround ('nuther Bob) Re: No NID Phone Like Troubleshooting {'nuther Bob) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 21:08:38 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: CDT Headline: Senate Committee Zeros Out TIA Funds From: CDT Info Subject: CDT Headline: Senate Committee Zeros Out TIA Funds, House Approves Limits on TIA Deployment Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 08:23:53 -0400 Senate Committee Zeros Out TIA Funds, House Approves Limits on TIA Deployment On Wednesday, July 9, the Senate Appropriations Committee, in considering the FY '04 Defense Appropriations bill, zeroed out funds for DARPA's Total Information Awareness program. On Tuesday, July 8 the House of Representatives voted in its version of the same bill to bar government agencies from deploying or implementing any component of TIA without Congressional notification and authorization. July 10, 2003 House amendment on TIA, July 8, 2003 http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2003/defapp-tia.html More on Data-mining: http://www.cdt.org/security/usapatriot/datamining.shtml ------------------------------ From: jean.marechal@caramail.com (Jean Marechal) Subject: WiFi Re-Connection Couldn't be Performed With Long Distance Date: 10 Jul 2003 02:33:00 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I'm using a WiFi Ad-hoc connection between a PDA (Toshiba e740) and a PC equipped with a PCMCIA XI-325H. When the connection is on, it works fine. But, each time connection is lost because distance between the PDA and the PC is too long, I can't re-establish the connection without bringing the two devices close together. Does anybody have an explanation? And a specific configuration of the devices that avoids to come and go each time the connection is lost? Thanks. Jean Marechal ------------------------------ From: Eworldwire Subject: Shareholders Approve Amendment To Increase Advanced Communications Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 12:12:31 -0400 ATTN: TELECOM EDITORS AND WRITERS Shareholders Approve Amendment To Increase Advanced Communications Technologies, Inc. Authorized Common Stock New York/EWORLDWIRE/July 10, 2003 --- Advanced Communications Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:ADVC) ("ACT" or the "Company") today announced that its shareholders approved, by majority vote, an amendment to the Company's Articles of Incorporation to increase its authorized common stock to 5,000,000,000 shares, as reported during a special meeting of the shareholders held in New York yesterday. About Advanced Communications Technologies Inc. Advanced Communications Technologies Inc. ("ACT") owns the exclusive marketing and distribution rights throughout the North and South American markets to SpectruCell, a software-defined radio (SDR) multiple protocol wireless system that is currently under development, consisting of hardware and software that enables network providers to install a single base station and configure it to any or all protocols. This release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such statements are reasonable, no assurances can be given that they will prove correct. The Company remains exposed to risk factors that include the completion, marketability and availability of the SpectruCell product, the availability of qualified personnel, market competition, meeting time critical requirements and others. Statements made herein are not a guarantee of future corporate or stock performance. HTML: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/wr/071003/1496.htm PDF: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/pdf/071003/1496.pdf ONLINE NEWSROOM: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/1376.htm LOGO: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/1376.htm CONTACT: Wayne I. Danson President 646-227-1600 Copyright 2003 Eworldwire, All rights reserved. Press Release Distribution By EWORLDWIRE http://www.eworldwire.com (973)252-6800. Journalists: Log in and modify your settings at - http://media.eworldwire.com/media_signup.php For Media Questions: http://www.eworldwire.com/forthemedia.htm ------------------------------ From: dold@McDonaldXs.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: McDonald's Serves up Wireless Web Access Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 16:18:20 UTC Organization: a2i network Monty Solomon wrote: > But McDonald's is still trying to figure out what to charge patrons > who want to use the Internet and how to share that revenue with those > that offer the Internet service. The web site, and this article, both indicate "In San Francisco, McDonald's plans to charge $4.95 for two hours," I'ts free if you buy a happy meal, I think ... That doesn't sound like too bad of a model, although it might be a bit of a hassle. It would seem like a better idea to make it 1/2 hour for free, and two hours with a happy meal. If they already have the timing equipment in place, that shouldn't be a problem. That's the way http://www.stayonline.net works (except two weeks instead of two hours in their hotel applications). Share the revenue? You really think people are going to stay in MacDonalds past the initial two hours? Or is that a one-time two hours, and then you are banned for life with that MAC? (no pun). The normal rates for Wayport are not attractive. My company has a deal with T-Mobile, $19.95 per month nationwide, unlimited, but I'm not buying. Too many free spots. Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 ------------------------------ From: response_2002@yahoo.com (response 2002) Subject: Problem "Registering" my Siemens 2410 - 2.4GHz Handsets Date: 10 Jul 2003 09:41:27 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hi Friends, I am having a problem "registering" my Siemens 2410 - 2.4GHz handsets. I bought (end 2000 - early 2001) the single line Siemens 2410 2.4GHz phone and three additional handsets along with it. They all were working fine till last week. Last week one of my handset started flashing "Please Register" message for absolutely unknown reasons. I tried registering it by punching in the system PIN "0000" (factory default - and I have not changed it) but nothing happened. The handset tries to register (or so it seems) 'cause I get the message "Registering Base Station 1" and after sometime I get back the "Please Register" message again. Hoping that it'll help, I went ahead and un-registered the other three handsets as well (big mistake). Now I can not register any of the handsets. I have powered down and up all four handsets and the base with no change in result. How can I varify the system PIN when none of my handsets show the "system options" in the menu? Any one encountered this problem and fixed it? Please help me ... at this time I have no phone available to me. Siemens customer service is completely useless. If possible, please respond to my email. Thanks. SP ------------------------------ From: eliong@cura.net (Eric Liong) Subject: Connecting 3Com NBX to E1 From PSTN Date: 10 Jul 2003 12:50:15 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Does anybody have experience with an NBX-100 which operates internally on VoIP, and is connected to an E1 line from the public system (Ericsson)? Is it technically possible to have Direct In-Dialing and Caller-id on the NBX? Thanks, Eric ------------------------------ From: jmeissen@aracnet.com Subject: Re: How Bell Canada Handles Death Threats! Date: 10 Jul 2003 20:44:55 GMT Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com In article , Joey Lindstrom wrote: > On Tue, 8 Jul 2003 20:31:02 -0400 (EDT), freespeechstore@aol.com wrote: http://freespeechstore.com/public/223_How_Bell_Canada_Handles_Death_Threats_Through_Its_Server!.htm > Speaking of threats, I find it interesting that, like most spammers, > threats are your method of choice in dealing with those who might call > you on your behaviour. I refer to our email conversation earlier > today, in which you threatened to report me to my ISP - and then > followed through on it, telling them that I "threaten libel". To quote from His "Update Wall of Shame" page,"This is a web site/database where any kind of data, both pro and con, to include: articles, letters, complaints, compliments, information, spam reports, virus alerts, opinions, etc., about any subject can be recorded for future reference and/or a future search by any and all interested parties worldwide. " Posting is free. Maybe you could post your correspondence information on his own website. :-) John Meissen jmeissen@aracnet.com ------------------------------ From: jmeissen@aracnet.com Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: 10 Jul 2003 20:58:18 GMT Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com In article , John David Galt wrote: > While the tobacco case is not directly on-topic here, it seems to be > the first of a whole series of cases in which companies get blamed > when customers use their products irresponsibly. The recent attempts > to sue fast-food outlets for "food addiction" are similar. Where will > this insanity end? Will you similarly cheer when cellular phones > disappear from the marketplace because Ralph Nader persuades a jury to > blame their manufacturers for half the world's auto-accident deaths? > I think both you and Ralph need a dose of reality. While I agree that we probably have way too many lawyers, and there are far too many frivolous and downright ridiculous lawsuits, you can't really compare the tobacco industry with cell phone manufacturers or fast food companies. Not unless we discover that McDonalds has been lacing their hamburgers with addictive substances or that cell phone manufacturers have been suppressing evidence of direct correlation between usage and brain tumors. While I neither supported nor opposed the tobacco lawsuit, the fact remains that the tobacco company marketed cigarettes as healthy and health-improving products throughout the 50's and 60's in spite of their own research, and throughout the latter part of the 20th century continually denied any knowledge of addictive or cancer-causing effects of their products. john- ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Organization: Level(3) Communications, Woburn, MA Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 21:13:16 GMT In article , Pat wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Putting those records on the Internet > does nothing a dedicated snooper could not do by sitting down at your > local courthouse and copying the files by hand. The difference is in scale. By hand, it would take an impractically long time or too many people to get lots of people's records. But when the records are on a publically-available Internet site, it's simple to write a program that grabs thousands of them. It's like the difference between junk postal mail and spam: the economics of postal mail prevent it from becoming as voluminous, or used for such unattractive products, as junk email. That's why junk mail is at worst a minor annoyance, while spam is a serious problem. Barry Margolin, barry.margolin@level3.com Level(3), Woburn, MA *** DON'T SEND TECHNICAL QUESTIONS DIRECTLY TO ME, post them to newsgroups. Please DON'T copy followups to me -- I'll assume it wasn't posted to the group. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Have you ever read the speech given in Germany in 1991 at the IBM convention? Look in our archives under the special report 'Informing Ourselves to Death'. Maybe I will reprint it here again soon, as it seems to be needed. There are lots of social illnesses which have arisen in the past decade which I think can be directly attributed to the internet and the information overload we must deal with. I cannot imagine that the 'inventors' of the internet, or the guys who made it what it is today ever intended to see the information flood get so *out of control* as it has. I do not think they were malicious in any way; it just never occurred to them all the ways people would think of to use this medium. I think I will reprint that speech from the IBM 1991 program. PAT] ------------------------------ From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 08:06:59 -0700 In article , John McHarry wrote: > I think this is an argument for not making that information public at > all, not for keeping it off the Internet. So, you would advocate having our legal processes in secret? Just think of all the deals that could be made behind closed doors, then! And then, if you made a rukus, the government could just whisk you off to a late-night secret "trial" and throw you in the hoosgow ... with no one the wiser. Sarcasm aside, I think that I would rather see our legal processes conducted in the light of day. Judges are quite capable of sealing records when it is truly appropriate. John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 ------------------------------ From: Herb Stein Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 21:56:50 -0500 John Higdon wrote in message news:telecom22.557.14@telecom-digest.org: > In article , jmeissen@aracnet.com > wrote: >> I agree with the original poster. The difference is in the one case >> your information is available to a local resident, and there would >> probably be some sort of audit trail regarding access to records (I >> can't say for sure, I've never done it). In the other case you're >> making the information available to anyone in the world with a web >> browser, with no accountability. > As someone who routinely accesses court records, I can tell you that > there is no log kept of people who access those records. For a nominal > charge, they will even make certified copies for you ... but you are > not required to furnish any information about yourself. > The records anywhere are available to anyone who can afford to hire > someone to go the the clerk's office and pick up copies, or who can > afford to travel there himself. All the web does is bring down the > cost of searching and obtaining public records. For someone preparing > a case (or defending against a legal action) this is a godsend. > I'll say it again: information is public or it is not. If it is, then > it needs to be available without impediment to anyone who wishes to > access it. > Welcome to a free society. John is exactly right. It's a public record and the fact that it was difficult to access a few years ago is not a reason to lock it up now. Did my taxes pay for it? Then I'm entitled to a copy. > John Higdon | Email Address Valid | SF: +1 415 428-COWS > +1 408 264 4115 | Anytown, USA | FAX: +1 408 264 4407 Herb Stein The Herb Stein Group www.herbstein.com herb@herbstein.com 314 952-4601 ------------------------------ From: John Hines Subject: Re: Stuck With Some Cable Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 09:08:23 -0500 Organization: www.jhines.org Reply-To: john@jhines.org rick@rickbestany.net (Rick Bestany) wrote: > I would like to recoup some of my losses and sell this cable. Can > anyone give me an idea of a fair price, and how I would go about > selling it? Already tried Ebay, and had no luck. Probably a local scrap metal dealer. In this day and age, I'd guess that if it didn't sell on Ebay, that is your best bet. Copper is valuable. The stuff probably isn't worth the shipping cost any more. ------------------------------ From: Dave Phelps Subject: Must be a Newbie Spammer Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 23:31:45 -0500 Organization: www.tippenring.com A spammer actually replied to one of my spamcop reports. Here's what he had to say. The ISP's note is below that. My reply is at the bottom. It won't do any good, but I feel better. I certainly wouldn't encourage anyone to sign up nats@silvermultimedia.net for tons of spam. From: N Silverman To: <326775375@reports.spamcop.net> Cc: Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 2:18 AM Subject: *****SPAM***** [SpamCop id:326775375 (208.202.132.202)] Once again, filthy dirty lies ... munged subjects and headers do not allow us to prove optioned in mail... all complaints from SpamCop are refused till we receive accurate header info pertaining to the subject and body of the message given. ALL MAIL IS OPTIN ... end of story. Admin > Dear Valued Client: > The attached complaint has been registered with Globix concerning a > possible violation of the Globix Acceptable Use Policy. As you > should know, it is against Globix policy for a client to send > unsolicited e-mail (SPAM) from our network or to promote a site on > our network utilizing unsolicited e-mail. > To assist you in determining the validity of the complaints and > source of any violation, a copy of the complaint has been attached > hereto. It is the responsibility of each Globix client to resolve > these issues by either removing the complainant from any e-mailing > lists which you may have or assuring that your users do not continue > to make unsolicited contacts in the future. > If you have any > questions concerning this matter please feel free to contact | our > support center at 1-877-2-GLOBIX. | | It is not necessary to > respond unless you are unable to resolve the issue | for some > reason. Any response should be emailed to support@globix.net to | > raise a *new* ticket. > Thank you for your prompt attention to > this matter. > Regards, | Globix Support Center | 1-877-2-GLOBIX > -------- Original Message -------- > From 326775376@bounces.spamcop.net Tue Jul 8 02:30:56 2003 > Received: from hq.globix.net (hq.globix.net [209.10.70.247]) by > ash.nyc1.globix.net (8.9.3/8.9.3/N) with ESMTP id CAA25398 for > ; Tue, 8 Jul 2003 02:25:33 -0400 (EDT) > Received: from saruman.julianhaight.com (saruman.julianhaight.com > [216.127.43.87]) by hq.globix.net (Postfix) with SMTP id C4F456A01 > for ; Tue, 8 Jul 2003 02:25:32 -0400 (EDT) > Received: (qmail 21552 invoked from network); 8 Jul 2003 06:26:02 > Received: from pippin.julianhaight.com (HELO spamcop.net) > (216.127.43.91) | by saruman.julianhaight.com with SMTP; 8 Jul 2003 > 06:26:02 -0000 | > Received: from [24.207.150.107] by spamcop.net with > HTTP; Tue, | 08 Jul 2003 06:26:50 GMT From: 326775376@reports.spamcop.net > To: abuse@globix.com > Subject: [SpamCop (http://www.exotic-mail.com/rem/) id:326775376] > *****SPAM ***** Not so innocent teens | Precedence: list | Message-Id: > <326775376@admin.spamcop.net> | Date: Mon, 07 Jul 2003 04:26:29 > -0400 EST | X-Spamcop-Sourceip: 208.202.132.202 | X-Mailer: > Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; Crazy Browser | > 1.0.5) via http://spamcop.net/ v1.3.3 | | - SpamCop V1.3.3 - | This > message is brief for your comfort. Please follow links for details. > > http://spamcop.net/w3m?i=z326775375zddb228d167d89f2e55cc9df0c2606399z > Email from 208.202.132.202 / Mon, 07 Jul 2003 04:26:29 -0400 EST | > > http://spamcop.net/w3m?i=z326775376zb378a6915d635f9dc5f726863c38f404z > Spamvertised website: http://www.exotic-mail.com/rem/ > Additional links on www.exotic-mail.com: > http://www.exotic-mail.com/rem/ > http://www.exotic-mail.com/mailx/dirty/dirtyc.htm > http://www.exotic-mail.com/mailx/dirty/dirtyb.htm > http://www.exotic-mail.com/rem/ is 208.202.132.232; Tue, 08 Jul 2003 > 06:26:41 GMT "Once again filthy dirty lies" huh? Let me define opt-in for you, since obviously you've been reading the wrong dictionary. Opt-in is NOT when you add a million addresses to your spam list and anyone that doesn't opt out has "opted in". Opt-in is where someone actually signs up to receive email, and you send a confirmation to the email address that was entered, requiring a reply from that email address to confirm a subscription before adding that email address to your list. You, sir, have done NO SUCH THING. As far as munged headers, it is irrelevant! You shouldn't send spam! I will guarantee you that I didn't sign up for your list, because I haven't used the email that received your spam for about 2 years! Do you even know how to read headers? The only munged portion is the TO: field. You couldn't prove opt-in email anyway. No matter what the TO: field showed, you would claim that address was opted-in anyway. Consider this a request by everyone to totally purge your spam list and GET A REAL JOB! Dave Phelps DD Networks www.ddnets.com deadspam=tippenring ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: MCI/Worldcom/Telecom-USA's Latest 101-XXXX+ Dialaround Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:08:13 GMT On Wed, 9 Jul 2003 14:29:42 -0400, Geoffrey Welsh wrote: >> Having had some personal experience with corporate >> culture change I know that it is not easy or quick. > ... or cheap, which is why I don't believe that 99% of the bigwigs > who speak about commitment to things like culture change are > sufficiently commited to the resources required to make their delcared > public proclamations meaningful. Plueeze, don't get me started. It's the entire corporate management structure that doesn't, and never will, work. Have you ever sat in on a Board of Directors meeting? We'll start there. Who are these people ? It's the buddy system for the very well-to-do with little to do. Out of 12 directors, 3 will barely have a clue what the company does, 3 will have someplace else they need to be, 3 will be trying to understand company matters that are beyond their grasp and 3 will actually have a clue. These brainless wonders run around in their world of fluff talking about global directions, maturing economies, and philosophical crap that doesn't matter diddly squat. The _best_ they will do is give the Pres/CEO some general direction. Something specific like "expand markets, make money". The Pres/CEO will bounce the directive to his second layer with a "you'd better or else" attached. Those folks will bounce it down a level more, etc, etc, etc. Unfortunately the folks at the top usually have a financial interest or are being measured that way for their next fat bonus, so they send the directive on with a "and do it for 10% less". As it filters down, it gets to people who might actually be able to make a difference, but all they get is the "cut 10%" and "work longer hours". The great "meaning" of the message was long ago lost by people tailoring it to cover their own butts and salaries. Well, I could go on. The problem is unfortunately native to the large corporate beast. Don't expect a change soon. Bob ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: No NID, Phone Like Troubleshooting Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:21:20 GMT On 9 Jul 2003 06:27:58 -0700, dorkfish@fishtop.com (KellBot) wrote: > Your imaginary 'Demarc' or Network Interface is where the wires from > the pole attach to the wires which enter your property at the > basement crawl space. If you can attach a telephone to the two wires > from the pole at that spot, then if you cannot get satisfactory dial > tone there, it is telco's problem. If you *can* get dialtone at that > place (basement crawl space where telephone pole wires first > connect) then it becomes your problem (or actually the landlord's > problem). To add in the practical issues: Go to Radio Shack, Home Depot, some place that sells phone jack. Buy a device (jack) that has screw terminals on one side and a modular jack on the other. The best choice is usually the type of jack that is designed to be screwed to a base board. Hook up two wires to the red and green terminals on the jack. Attach the other end of these wires to the two wires at the first entry point as described above. Disconnect the wires leading to the rest of the building. Plug a *known good* phone to the modular jack and listen for dialtone. Don't use a cordless phone. But a cheap hard wired phone at Kmart or someplace similar and use that for testing. The simpler the better. As mentioned above -- if the phone is clear, you have a building problem. If it is dirty, you need the telco to fix it. If it is a building problem, disconnect your jack and reconnect the building wiring. Move to the next connection box and repeat the process. If it is still clean, move to the next point. Eventually you will identify where the problem is, and you can decide it you can fix it or not. FYI -- plain telephone wiring is very simple. Only the red/green wires do anything in a single line environment (or whatever colors you find hooked up). Just two wires. You can connect a phone anywhere on the line to test. Be aware that there *is* significant voltage in the wires. Don't let them touch each other. Don't touch both at the same time, particularly if you have any cuts on your fingers. Wear rubber shoes and don't touch concrete walls, water/gas/oil pipes, other wiring, etc -- or metal ladders touching any of that stuff -- as you work. If you don't know anything about electricity and safe wiring, don't do this job. Bob ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. 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His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #559 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jul 11 00:32:33 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6B4WXm27275; Fri, 11 Jul 2003 00:32:33 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 00:32:33 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307110432.h6B4WXm27275@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #560 TELECOM Digest Fri, 11 Jul 2003 00:32:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 560 Inside This Special Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Informing Ourselves to Death (Neil Postman via Bill Pfeiffer) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 23:56:08 EDT From: Neil Postman via Bill Pfeiffer Subject: Informing Ourselves to Death This reprint from TELECOM Digest in January, 1994 is worth looking at again these days, especially in view of the recent controversy over court records on the internet. When Bill was alive and editing the Airwaves Journal and Usenet's rec.radio.broadcasting news group he was also an occassional contributor to TELECOM. Enjoy this reprint from our archives, and give some serious thought to what it says. Remember also, in 1994 when I Bill first submitted it we had very little spam compared to today. And in 1990, when Postman gave his speech, spam was almost unheard of, nor any of the various illnesses we see now on the internet daily. When I first printed this in 1994, a couple readers wrote me to say specifically that 'Postman is a crazy person' and his comments were 'way out in left field'. Read it again and tell me if that is still the case, if it ever was. PAT Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa14345; 26 Jan 94 16:38 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA02127; Wed, 26 Jan 94 12:27:59 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA02117; Wed, 26 Jan 94 12:27:57 CST Date: Wed, 26 Jan 94 12:27:57 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9401261827.AA02117@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu Subject: Informing Ourselves to Death Awhile back, I sent out a transcript of a speech made by Vice-President Gore discussing the 'superhighway' concept going around these days. A response was received from Bill Pfeiffer, passing along an interesting alternative viewpoint to that of the White House, and I thought you would be interested in seeing it. PAT From: rrb@deja-vu.aiss.uiuc.edu (Bill Pfeiffer) Subject: Rebuttle (of sorts) to Gore's Speech Date: Tue, 18 Jan 1994 18:12:41 -0600 (CST) Dear TELECOM: Here is a file of a speech by Neil Postman who has a slightly different perspective on the Information Superhighway. Bill Pfeiffer Editor AIRWAVES RADIO JOURNAL (info@airwaves.chi.il.us) Source: Neil Postman, German Informatics Society, 11 Oct 90, Stuttgart Following speech was given at a meeting of the German Informatics Society (Gesellschaft fuer Informatik) on October 11, 1990 in Stuttgart, sponsored by IBM-Germany. INFORMING OURSELVES TO DEATH ____________________________ by Neil Postman The great English playwright and social philosopher George Bernard Shaw once remarked that all professions are conspiracies against the common folk. He meant that those who belong to elite trades - physicians, lawyers, teachers, and scientists - protect their special status by creating vocabularies that are incomprehensible to the general public. This process prevents outsiders from understanding what the profession is doing and why - and protects the insiders from close examination and criticism. Professions, in other words, build forbidding walls of technical gobbledegook over which the prying and alien eye cannot see. Unlike George Bernard Shaw, I raise no complaint against this, for I consider myself a professional teacher and appreciate technical gobbledegook as much as anyone. But I do not object if occasionally someone who does not know the secrets of my trade is allowed entry to the inner halls to express an untutored point of view. Such a person may sometimes give a refreshing opinion or, even better, see something in a way that the professionals have overlooked. I believe I have been invited to speak at this conference for just such a purpose. I do not know very much more about computer technology than the average person - which isn't very much. I have little understanding of what excites a computer programmer or scientist, and in examining the descriptions of the presentations at this conference, I found each one more mysterious than the next. So, I clearly qualify as an outsider. But I think that what you want here is not merely an outsider but an outsider who has a point of view that might be useful to the insiders. And that is why I accepted the invitation to speak. I believe I know something about what technologies do to culture, and I know even more about what technologies undo in a culture. In fact, I might say, at the start, that what a technology undoes is a subject that computer experts apparently know very little about. I have heard many experts in computer technology speak about the advantages that computers will bring. With one exception - namely, Joseph Weizenbaum - I have never heard anyone speak seriously and comprehensively about the disadvantages of computer technology, which strikes me as odd, and makes me wonder if the profession is hiding something important. That is to say, what seems to be lacking among computer experts is a sense of technological modesty. After all, anyone who has studied the history of technology knows that technological change is always a Faustian bargain: Technology giveth and technology taketh away, and not always in equal measure. A new technology sometimes creates more than it destroys. Sometimes, it destroys more than it creates. But it is never one-sided. The invention of the printing press is an excellent example. Printing fostered the modern idea of individuality but it destroyed the medieval sense of community and social integration. Printing created prose but made poetry into an exotic and elitist form of expression. Printing made modern science possible but transformed religious sensibility into an exercise in superstition. Printing assisted in the growth of the nation-state but, in so doing, made patriotism into a sordid if not a murderous emotion. Another way of saying this is that a new technology tends to favor some groups of people and harms other groups. School teachers, for example, will, in the long run, probably be made obsolete by television, as blacksmiths were made obsolete by the automobile, as balladeers were made obsolete by the printing press. Technological change, in other words, always results in winners and losers. In the case of computer technology, there can be no disputing that the computer has increased the power of large-scale organizations like military establishments or airline companies or banks or tax collecting agencies. And it is equally clear that the computer is now indispensable to high-level researchers in physics and other natural sciences. But to what extent has computer technology been an advantage to the masses of people? To steel workers, vegetable store owners, teachers, automobile mechanics, musicians, bakers, brick layers, dentists and most of the rest into whose lives the computer now intrudes? These people have had their private matters made more accessible to powerful institutions. They are more easily tracked and controlled; they are subjected to more examinations, and are increasingly mystified by the decisions made about them. They are more often reduced to mere numerical objects. They are being buried by junk mail. They are easy targets for advertising agencies and political organizations. The schools teach their children to operate computerized systems instead of teaching things that are more valuable to children. In a word, almost nothing happens to the losers that they need, which is why they are losers. It is to be expected that the winners - for example, most of the speakers at this conference - will encourage the losers to be enthusiastic about computer technology. That is the way of winners, and so they sometimes tell the losers that with personal computers the average person can balance a checkbook more neatly, keep better track of recipes, and make more logical shopping lists. They also tell them that they can vote at home, shop at home, get all the information they wish at home, and thus make community life unnecessary. They tell them that their lives will be conducted more efficiently, discreetly neglecting to say from whose point of view or what might be the costs of such efficiency. Should the losers grow skeptical, the winners dazzle them with the wondrous feats of computers, many of which have only marginal relevance to the quality of the losers' lives but which are nonetheless impressive. Eventually, the losers succumb, in part because they believe that the specialized knowledge of the masters of a computer technology is a form of wisdom. The masters, of course, come to believe this as well. The result is that certain questions do not arise, such as, to whom will the computer give greater power and freedom, and whose power and freedom will be reduced? Now, I have perhaps made all of this sound like a wellplanned conspiracy, as if the winners know all too well what is being won and what lost. But this is not quite how it happens, for the winners do not always know what they are doing, and where it will all lead. The Benedictine monks who invented the mechanical clock in the 12th and 13th centuries believed that such a clock would provide a precise regularity to the seven periods of devotion they were required to observe during the course of the day. As a matter of fact, it did. But what the monks did not realize is that the clock is not merely a means of keeping track of the hours but also of synchronizing and controlling the actions of men. And so, by the middle of the 14th century, the clock had moved outside the walls of the monastery, and brought a new and precise regularity to the life of the workman and the merchant. The mechanical clock made possible the idea of regular production, regular working hours, and a standardized product. Without the clock, capitalism would have been quite impossible. And so, here is a great paradox: the clock was invented by men who wanted to devote themselves more rigorously to God; and it ended as the technology of greatest use to men who wished to devote themselves to the accumulat- ion of money. Technology always has unforeseen consequences, and it is not always clear, at the beginning, who or what will win, and who or what will lose. I might add, by way of another historical example, that Johann Gutenberg was by all accounts a devoted Christian who would have been horrified to hear Martin Luther, the accursed heretic, declare that printing is "God's highest act of grace, whereby the business of the Gospel is driven forward." Gutenberg thought his invention would advance the cause of the Holy Roman See, whereas in fact, it turned out to bring a revolution which destroyed the monopoly of the Church. We may well ask ourselves, then, is there something that the masters of computer technology think they are doing for us which they and we may have reason to regret? I believe there is, and it is suggested by the title of my talk, "Informing Ourselves to Death". In the time remaining, I will try to explain what is dangerous about the computer, and why. And I trust you will be open enough to consider what I have to say. Now, I think I can begin to get at this by telling you of a small experiment I have been conducting, on and off, for the past several years. There are some people who describe the experiment as an exercise in deceit and exploitation but I will rely on your sense of humor to pull me through. Here's how it works: It is best done in the morning when I see a colleague who appears not to be in possession of a copy of {The New York Times}. "Did you read The Times this morning?," I ask. If the colleague says yes, there is no experiment that day. But if the answer is no, the experiment can proceed. "You ought to look at Page 23," I say. "There's a fascinating article about a study done at Harvard University." "Really? What's it about?" is the usual reply. My choices at this point are limited only by my imagination. But I might say something like this: "Well, they did this study to find out what foods are best to eat for losing weight, and it turns out that a normal diet supplemented by chocolate eclairs, eaten six times a day, is the best approach. It seems that there's some special nutrient in the eclairs - encomial dioxin - that actually uses up calories at an incredible rate." Another possibility, which I like to use with colleagues who are known to be health conscious is this one: "I think you'll want to know about this," I say. "The neuro-physiologists at the University of Stuttgart have uncovered a connection between jogging and reduced intelligence. They tested more than 1200 people over a period of five years, and found that as the number of hours people jogged increased, there was a corresponding decrease in their intelligence. They don't know exactly why but there it is." I'm sure, by now, you understand what my role is in the experiment: to report something that is quite ridiculous - one might say, beyond belief. Let me tell you, then, some of my results: Unless this is the second or third time I've tried this on the same person, most people will believe or at least not disbelieve what I have told them. Some- times they say: "Really? Is that possible?" Sometimes they do a double-take, and reply, "Where'd you say that study was done?" And sometimes they say, "You know, I've heard something like that." Now, there are several conclusions that might be drawn from these results, one of which was expressed by H. L. Mencken fifty years ago when he said, there is no idea so stupid that you can't find a professor who will believe it. This is more of an accusation than an explanation but in any case I have tried this experiment on non- professors and get roughly the same results. Another possible con- clusion is one expressed by George Orwell - also about 50 years ago - when he remarked that the average person today is about as naive as was the average person in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages people believed in the authority of their religion, no matter what. Today, we believe in the authority of our science, no matter what. But I think there is still another and more important conclusion to be drawn, related to Orwell's point but rather off at a right angle to it. I am referring to the fact that the world in which we live is very nearly incomprehensible to most of us. There is almost no fact - whether actual or imagined - that will surprise us for very long, since we have no comprehensive and consistent picture of the world which would make the fact appear as an unacceptable contradiction. We believe because there is no reason not to believe. No social, political, historical, metaphysical, logical or spiritual reason. We live in a world that, for the most part, makes no sense to us. Not even technical sense. I don't mean to try my experiment on this audience, especially after having told you about it, but if I informed you that the seats you are presently occupying were actually made by a special process which uses the skin of a Bismark herring, on what grounds would you dispute me? For all you know - indeed, for all I know - the skin of a Bismark herring could have made the seats on which you sit. And if I could get an industrial chemist to confirm this fact by describing some incomprehensible process by which it was done, you would probably tell someone tomorrow that you spent the evening sitting on a Bismark herring. Perhaps I can get a bit closer to the point I wish to make with an analogy: If you opened a brand-new deck of cards, and started turning the cards over, one by one, you would have a pretty good idea of what their order is. After you had gone from the ace of spades through the nine of spades, you would expect a ten of spades to come up next. And if a three of diamonds showed up instead, you would be surprised and wonder what kind of deck of cards this is. But if I gave you a deck that had been shuffled twenty times, and then asked you to turn the cards over, you would not expect any card in particular - a three of diamonds would be just as likely as a ten of spades. Having no basis for assuming a given order, you would have no reason to react with disbelief or even surprise to whatever card turns up. The point is that, in a world without spiritual or intellectual order, nothing is unbelievable; nothing is predictable, and therefore, nothing comes as a particular surprise. In fact, George Orwell was more than a little unfair to the average person in the Middle Ages. The belief system of the Middle Ages was rather like my brand-new deck of cards. There existed an ordered, comprehensible world-view, beginning with the idea that all knowledge and goodness come from God. What the priests had to say about the world was derived from the logic of their theology. There was nothing arbitrary about the things people were asked to believe, including the fact that the world itself was created at 9 AM on October 23 in the year 4004 B. C. That could be explained, and was, quite lucidly, to the satisfaction of anyone. So could the fact that 10,000 angels could dance on the head of a pin. It made quite good sense, if you believed that the Bible is the revealed word of God and that the universe is populated with angels. The medieval world was, to be sure, mysterious and filled with wonder, but it was not without a sense of order. Ordinary men and women might not clearly grasp how the harsh realities of their lives fit into the grand and benevolent design, but they had no doubt that there was such a design, and their priests were well able, by deduction from a handful of principles, to make it, if not rational, at least coherent. The situation we are presently in is much different. And I should say, sadder and more confusing and certainly more mysterious. It is rather like the shuffled deck of cards I referred to. There is no consistent, integrated conception of the world which serves as the foundation on which our edifice of belief rests. And therefore, in a sense, we are more naive than those of the Middle Ages, and more frightened, for we can be made to believe almost anything. The skin of a Bismark herring makes about as much sense as a vinyl alloy or encomial dioxin. Now, in a way, none of this is our fault. If I may turn the wisdom of Cassius on its head: the fault is not in ourselves but almost literally in the stars. When Galileo turned his telescope toward the heavens, and allowed Kepler to look as well, they found no enchantment or authoriza- tion in the stars, only geometric patterns and equations. God, it seemed, was less of a moral philosopher than a master mathematician. This discovery helped to give impetus to the development of physics but did nothing but harm to theology. Before Galileo and Kepler, it was possible to believe that the Earth was the stable center of the uni- verse, and that God took a special interest in our affairs. Afterward, the Earth became a lonely wanderer in an obscure galaxy in a hidden corner of the universe, and we were left to wonder if God had any interest in us at all. The ordered, comprehensible world of the Middle Ages began to unravel because people no longer saw in the stars the face of a friend. And something else, which once was our friend, turned against us, as well. I refer to information. There was a time when information was a resource that helped human beings to solve specific and urgent problems of their environment. It is true enough that in the Middle Ages, there was a scarcity of information but its very scarcity made it both important and usable. This began to change, as everyone knows, in the late 15th century when a goldsmith named Gutenberg, from Mainz, converted an old wine press into a printing machine, and in so doing, created what we now call an information explosion. Forty years after the invention of the press, there were printing machines in 110 cities in six different countries; 50 years after, more than eight million books had been printed, almost all of them filled with information that had previously not been available to the average person. Nothing could be more misleading than the idea that computer technology introduced the age of information. The printing press began that age, and we have not been free of it since. But what started out as a liberating stream has turned into a deluge of chaos. If I may take my own country as an example, here is what we are faced with: In America, there are 260,000 billboards; 11,520 newspapers; 11,556 periodicals; 27,000 video outlets for renting tapes; 362 million tv sets; and over 400 million radios. There are 40,000 new book titles published every year (300,000 world-wide) and every day in America 41 million photographs are taken, and just for the record, over 60 billion pieces of advertising junk mail come into our mail boxes every year. Everything from telegraphy and photography in the 19th century to the silicon chip in the twentieth has amplified the din of information, until matters have reached such proportions today that for the average person, information no longer has any relation to the solution of problems. The tie between information and action has been severed. Information is now a commodity that can be bought and sold, or used as a form of entertainment, or worn like a garment to enhance one's status. It comes indiscriminately, directed at no one in particular, disconnected from usefulness; we are glutted with information, drowning in information, have no control over it, don't know what to do with it. And there are two reasons we do not know what to do with it. First, as I have said, we no longer have a coherent conception of ourselves, and our universe, and our relation to one another and our world. We no longer know, as the Middle Ages did, where we come from, and where we are going, or why. That is, we don't know what information is relevant, and what information is irrelevant to our lives. Second, we have directed all of our energies and intelligence to inventing machinery that does nothing but increase the supply of information. As a consequence, our defenses against information glut have broken down; our information immune system is inoperable. We don't know how to filter it out; we don't know how to reduce it; we don't know to use it. We suffer from a kind of cultural AIDS. Now, into this situation comes the computer. The computer, as we know, has a quality of universality, not only because its uses are almost infinitely various but also because computers are commonly integrated into the structure of other machines. Therefore it would be fatuous of me to warn against every conceivable use of a computer. But there is no denying that the most prominent uses of computers have to do with information. When people talk about "information sciences," they are talking about computers - how to store information, how to retrieve information, how to organize information. The computer is an answer to the questions, how can I get more information, faster, and in a more usable form? These would appear to be reasonable questions. But now I should like to put some other questions to you that seem to me more reasonable. Did Iraq invade Kuwait because of a lack of information? If a hideous war should ensue between Iraq and the U. S., will it happen because of a lack of information? If children die of starvation in Ethiopia, does it occur because of a lack of information? Does racism in South Africa exist because of a lack of information? If criminals roam the streets of New York City, do they do so because of a lack of information? Or, let us come down to a more personal level: If you and your spouse are unhappy together, and end your marriage in divorce, will it happen because of a lack of information? If your children misbehave and bring shame to your family, does it happen because of a lack of information? If someone in your family has a mental breakdown, will it happen because of a lack of information? I believe you will have to concede that what ails us, what causes us the most misery and pain - at both cultural and personal levels - has nothing to do with the sort of information made accessible by computers. The computer and its information cannot answer any of the fundamental quest- ions we need to address to make our lives more meaningful and humane. The computer cannot provide an organizing moral framework. It cannot tell us what questions are worth asking. It cannot provide a means of understanding why we are here or why we fight each other or why decency eludes us so often, especially when we need it the most. The computer is, in a sense, a magnificent toy that distracts us from facing what we most needed to confront - spiritual emptiness, knowledge of ourselves, usable conceptions of the past and future. Does one blame the computer for this? Of course not. It is, after all, only a machine. But it is presented to us, with trumpets blaring, as at this conference, as a technological messiah. Through the computer, the heralds say, we will make education better, religion better, politics better, our minds better - best of all, ourselves better. This is, of course, nonsense, and only the young or the ignorant or the foolish could believe it. I said a moment ago that computers are not to blame for this. And that is true, at least in the sense that we do not blame an elephant for its huge appetite or a stone for being hard or a cloud for hiding the sun. That is their nature, and we expect nothing different from them. But the computer has a nature, as well. True, it is only a machine but a machine designed to manipulate and generate information. That is what computers do, and therefore they have an agenda and an unmistakable message. The message is that through more and more information, more conveniently packaged, more swiftly delivered, we will find solutions to our problems. And so all the brilliant young men and women, believing this, create ingenious things for the computer to do, hoping that in this way, we will become wiser and more decent and more noble. And who can blame them? By becoming masters of this wondrous technology, they will acquire prestige and power and some will even become famous. In a world populated by people who believe that through more and more information, paradise is attainable, the computer scientist is king. But I maintain that all of this is a monumental and dangerous waste of human talent and energy. Imagine what might be accomplished if this talent and energy were turned to philosophy, to theology, to the arts, to imaginative literature or to education? Who knows what we could learn from such people - perhaps why there are wars, and hunger, and homelessness and mental illness and anger. As things stand now, the geniuses of computer technology will give us Star Wars, and tell us that is the answer to nuclear war. They will give us artificial intelligence, and tell us that this is the way to self-knowledge. They will give us instantaneous global communicat- ion, and tell us this is the way to mutual understanding. They will give us Virtual Reality and tell us this is the answer to spiritual poverty. But that is only the way of the technician, the fact-mongerer, the information junkie, and the technological idiot. Here is what Henry David Thoreau told us: "All our inventions are but improved means to an unimproved end." Here is what Goethe told us: "One should, each day, try to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it is possible, speak a few reasonable words." And here is what Socrates told us: "The unexamined life is not worth living." And here is what the prophet Micah told us: "What does the Lord require of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God?" And I can tell you - if I had the time (although you all know it well enough) - what Confucius, Isaiah, Jesus, Mohammed, the Buddha, Spinoza and Shakespeare told us. It is all the same: There is no escaping from ourselves. The human dilemma is as it has always been, and we solve nothing fundamental by cloaking ourselves in technological glory. Even the humblest cartoon character knows this, and I shall close by quoting the wise old possum named Pogo, created by the cartoonist, Walt Kelley. I commend his words to all the technological utopians and messiahs present. "We have met the enemy," Pogo said, "and he is us." ------------------- [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My sincere thanks to Bill for passing along this article to us. It certainly does give us something to meditate upon as we travel down the 'information superhighway' so highly touted by the present occupant of the White House and his staff. PAT] ========================== TELECOM Digest Editor's 2003 Note: Bear in mind all the above was first delivered by Postman in 1990 and reported here in this Digest in 1994 when President Clinton was in the White House. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #560 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jul 11 16:21:10 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6BKLAt03730; Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:21:10 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:21:10 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307112021.h6BKLAt03730@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #561 TELECOM Digest Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:21:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 561 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Search Engine Personalization: An Exploratory Study (Monty Solomon) Apple's iSight, Good And Bad (Monty Solomon) A Copyright Cold War? (Monty Solomon) Expressiveness and Conformity in Internet-Based Polls (Monty Solomon) The "Grey Digital Divide": Perception, Exclusion, Barriers (M Solomon) With iChat, Who Needs a Phone? (Monty Solomon) Apple's Mac Gets Addictive Over Time (Monty Solomon) Gillette, Wal-Mart Drop Plan For Radio ID Chips (Monty Solomon) Kensington WiFi Finder (Monty Solomon) Hackers Hijack PC's for Sex Sites (Monty Solomon) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List ('nuther Bob) Paid Hotspots, was Re: McDonald's Serves up Wireless (Danny Burstein) Re: Problem "Registering" my Siemens 2410 - 2.4GHz Handsets (M Sullivan) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (John David Galt) Re: CDT Headline: Senate Committee Zeros Out TIA Funds (Nathan Tenny) Re: Must be a Newbie Spammer (Matt Simpson) Digital Cellphones Friendly to the Hearing Impaired (The Old Bear) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 02:49:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Search Engine Personalization: An Exploratory Study by Yashmeet Khopkar, Amanda Spink, C. Lee Giles, Prital Shah, and Sandip Debnath Abstract Web search engines are beginning to offer personalization capabilities to users. Personalization is the ability of the Web site to match retrieved information content to a user's profile. This content can be set explicitly by the user or derived implicitly by the Web site using such user profile information as zip code, birth date, etc. In this paper we report findings from a study qualitatively and quantitatively assessing the current state of personalization on 60 search engine Web sites and the personalization features available. We examined: (1) how many search engines Web sites currently offer personalization features; and, (2) the type of features that can be personalized. Findings show that: (1) eight (13 percent) of the 60 search engines, including Yahoo, AOL, Lycos, Excite and Netscape, enabled some level of personalization; and, (2) personalization features are largely related to e-mail, business and financial information, searching of a reference tool, such as yellow pages, entertainment listings, sports, and news headlines. The breadth and depth of personalization features varied across search engines, with a mean number of two personalization features per site. "My Yahoo" had the most extensive personalization feature capability. Our findings show that despite the high level of interest in Web personalization, most search engine Web sites currently offer no or limited personalization features. http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_7/khopkar/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 02:44:40 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Apple's iSight, Good And Bad Ten O'Clock Tech Arik Hesseldahl, 07.10.03, 10:00 AM ET NEW YORK - Lonely are those who are lucky enough to own Apple Computer's latest computer accessory, the iSight digital video camera. There are only so many people with whom one can actually try it out. But their ranks are growing. We used a PowerMac G4 in New York to check in with an old grad school chum in San Francisco, and gave each other's respective iSight cameras a fair workout. The results, at least on our end, were at times impressive and also frustrating. Our iSight was attached to an Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) G4 tower connected to the Internet via a DSL line while our friend used his on a Powerbook that was linked to a broadband connection in his home via an Apple-made Airport wireless networking hub. The details of the types of network connections we used may be important, as you'll see presently. The iSight camera connects to Macs via the Firewire port and works only with Apple's Mac OS X version 10.2.5 or higher. For the videoconferencing feature to work, you need to be connected to a broadband Internet connection like a DSL line, cable modem or other fast connection like the office T1. Audio-conferencing requires a 56k modem connection at least. http://www.forbes.com/2003/07/10/cx_ah_0710tentech.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 02:52:18 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Copyright Cold War? A copyright cold war? The polarized rhetoric of the peer-to-peer debates by John Logie Abstract Participants in the United States' ongoing debates over peer-to-peer transfers of potentially copyrighted files have regularly trafficked in the rhetoric of warfare. While it is easy to understand how copyright holders would view peer-to-peer file transfers as a kind of attack, the rhetorical turn toward the discourse of military conflict has radiated throughout the debate. Individuals from across the spectrum of opinions on peer-to-peer file transfers both accept and reproduce the positioning of this public policy debate as a life-or-death struggle. The weaknesses of this comparison are illustrated through reference to the history of the Cold War, often cited as a model for the post-Napster period. Further, the relative immaturity of the peer-to-peer debate is demonstrated through reference to rhetorical analysis techniques suggested by stasis theory. This article concludes by suggesting ways in which the currently stalemated debate might be revitalized by principled interventions from scholars and concerned citizens. http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_7/logie/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:05:19 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Expressiveness and Conformity in Internet-Based Polls by Sebnem Cilesiz and Richard Ferdig Abstract This paper reports a research study that examined whether people are expressive and whether they conform to external opinion in Internet Based Opinion Polls. Four versions of an opinion poll via the Internet were administered to 69 college students. Specific conditions to operationalize expressiveness and conformity are explained in the paper. The results suggest that social science findings regarding interpersonal relations do not necessarily apply to Internet environments. The major implication of the study is that poll data collected via the Internet constitute reliable information. http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_7/cilesiz/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:07:30 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The "Grey Digital Divide": Perception, Exclusion and Barriers The "grey digital divide": Perception, exclusion and barriers of access to the Internet for older people by Peter Millward Abstract Focussing upon the elderly, this article utilises data discovered as researcher for Age Concern in Wigan (U.K.) and examines the feelings of older people toward the Internet. It explores the reasons why some clients and volunteers choose to use the Internet, whilst others do not, relating these perspectives to the organisations, alongside broader national (U.K.) and EU, commitments to reduce the digital divide. The article argues that for the elderly Internet usability is based upon more than availability of technology. Instead a lack of Web skills among the elderly leads to an opinion that information and communication technologies are for the young, leading to a long-term damage lack of interest in using the Internet. http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_7/millward/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:42:32 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: With iChat, Who Needs a Phone? BYTE OF THE APPLE By Alex Salkever Apple's latest tech wizardry makes voice calling over the Net a snap. That could be a push off a cliff for today's telecom giants. Give Steve Jobs credit. For a man who heads a comparatively small technology company, he sure knows how to alter the tech landscape. The exuberant and often exasperating CEO of Apple Computer (AAPL ) gave the music industry its groove back in April when he introduced a powerful one-two punch of iTunes and the online Apple Music Store. With 99-cent downloads, Jobs also handed music lovers what they wanted: high-quality downloads, a fair price, a good selection, and the right to do what they see fit with their music. With 5 million paid downloads in two months and a version for Microsoft (MSFT ) Windows users on the way, it's easy to see why music industry execs are dancing in their boardrooms. While the record labels have been a lucky benefactor of Jobsian innovation, the phone companies are about to get whacked by Jobs's quest to give Apple users something else they want. I'm talking about the latest beta version of iChat. Released in late June at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference, the new version lets iChat users go beyond typed text messaging to actual voice conversations over the Net. All you need is a Mac running OS X, a decent external microphone, and a connection of 28 kilobits per second or so. A broadband link isn't necessary. (This version also lets iChat users establish on-the-fly video calls with others on the iChat system, but the video isn't nearly as impressive as the voice capability.) I tried talking to someone in Amsterdam who was on a narrowband connection. He couldn't do much else on the computer when he was talking, but the iChat connection held up very well. On all broadband links, iChat has worked without a hitch for me. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2003/tc2003079_0737_tc056.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:54:35 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Apple's Mac Gets Addictive Over Time By Mark Kellner THE WASHINGTON TIMES When does a computing platform border on an addiction? When it's Apple's Macintosh. During the past several weeks, I have discovered even more reasons for keeping a Mac as my primary computer. http://washingtontimes.com/technology/20030707-101136-9825r.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:56:19 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Gillette, Wal-Mart Drop Plan For Radio ID Chips Plan had raised concerns over privacy of consumers By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff, 7/10/2003 Customers at the Wal-Mart store in Brockton won't be getting miniature radio transmitter chips with their Gillette Mach 3 razors, after all. Boston-based Gillette Co. and giant retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have backed away from plans to test the controversial chips at the Brockton Wal-Mart store. ''We didn't do the test, and we're not going to,'' said Wal-Mart spokesman Tom Williams. Williams said the decision reflected a change in business strategy, rather than a reaction to an Internet-based campaign against the technology, known as radio frequency identification, or RFID. Privacy advocates were concerned that the technology would be used to track consumers' purchases without their knowledge or consent. http://www.boston.com:80/dailyglobe2/191/business/Gillette_Wal_Mart_drop_plan_for_radio_ID_chips+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 04:07:30 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Kensington WiFi Finder http://www.kensington.com/html/3720.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 04:18:01 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Hackers Hijack PC's for Sex Sites By JOHN SCHWARTZ More than a thousand unsuspecting Internet users around the world have recently had their computers hijacked by hackers, who computer security experts say are using them for pornographic Web sites. The hijacked computers, which are chosen by the hackers apparently because they have high-speed connections to the Internet, are secretly loaded with software that makes them send explicit Web pages advertising pornographic sites and offer to sign visitors up as customers. Unless the owner of the hijacked computer is technologically sophisticated, the activity is likely to go unnoticed. The program, which only briefly downloads the pornographic material to the usurped computer, is invisible to the computer's owner. It apparently does not harm the computer or disturb its operation. The hackers operating the ring direct traffic to each hijacked computer in their network for a few minutes at a time, quickly rotating through a large number. Some are also used to send spam e-mail messages to boost traffic to the sites. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/11/technology/11HACK.html [Lisa Minter note: When reading NY Times articles, feel free to use our group login name 'telecomdigest' and group password 'telecomdigest' . Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:57:04 GMT On Tue, 08 Jul 2003 23:43:15 -0700, John David Galt wrote: > While the tobacco case is not directly on-topic here, it seems to be > the first of a whole series of cases in which companies get blamed > when customers use their products irresponsibly. The recent attempts > to sue fast-food outlets for "food addiction" are similar. Where will > this insanity end? Will you similarly cheer when cellular phones > disappear from the marketplace because Ralph Nader persuades a jury to > blame their manufacturers for half the world's auto-accident deaths? There are two different issues here. One is foolish, unmerited, law suits. Individuals need to be responsible for their own actions. The second issue is legitimate lawsuits and the fact that *companies* need (also) to be held responsible for their action. Now, I agree with you on the "fast food" case. However, the tobacco cases fall into two distinct categories. One category is lawsuits by people who started smoking *after* the government started printing (requiring) warning labels. These suits go nowhere -- correctly, IMHO. The other category are lawsuits from people who started smoking much earlier. The tobacco companies had a clear and detailed plan for hiding the effects and addiction related to smoking. It was well documented in their records. When companies knowingly sell products that harm the public, they should be held responsible. As another example, one case that appears to be frivolous on the surface was the McDonalds spilt coffee/burn case. At first glance, it looks like another foolish "blame the company for my actions" suit. However, if you read the testimony from MCDonalds own witnesses, it becomes clear that it's a case of a company taking specific actions that they knew were harmful to the public. (I can post a few facts/testimony if you care). Despite over 700 previous claims, McDonalds continued to sell dangerously hot coffee. Again, companies have to be held responsible for their actions, just as individuals must. Bob [Lisa Minter note: How is coffee supposed to be served, if not really hot? That's how I like to drink mine. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Paid Hotspots, was Re: McDonald's Serves up Wireless Web Access Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 04:00:49 +0000 (UTC) Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In dold@McDonaldXs.usenet.us.com writes: [ snip ] > My company has a deal with T-Mobile, $19.95 per month nationwide, > unlimited, but I'm not buying. Too many free spots. With the discloure that I'm an early Omnipoint customer who liked the company so much I followed Victor Kiam's exammple, this specific offering by T-Mobile may be worth a looksee by some folk. Anyone with a t-mobile cellphone account can get this same $20/month unlimited "hotspot" access. Which lets you use quite a few spots nationwide such as an ever increasing percentage of Starbucks and Kinkos and lots and lots of others. NOTE that these are NOT wide area nets. You have to either be in the store, or in the parking lot, or within a hundred or so feet of one of them. But for many people this may be a good tradeoff. Incidentally, another (kind of) paid option in NYC is the recent installation by Verizon of base stations on a couple of hundred pay phones. If you have a VZ DSL account in NYC, you can hook up, for no additional charge, to one of these wireless points. And, as a side note, there are many public and free mini nets in NYC. For example, a half dozen parks (more on the way) have 802.11 access in them. There are also a significant number of people who've joined in on this concept and have set up their own public points of presence. (And, for better or worse, there are many more who left the defaults when setting up their systems, so anyone walking down the block can patch in). Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Problem "Registering" my Siemens 2410 - 2.4GHz Handsets Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 05:16:02 GMT [This followup was posted to comp.dcom.telecom and a copy was sent to the cited author.] On 10 Jul 2003 09:41:27 -0700, response 2002 posted the following to comp.dcom.telecom: > Hi Friends, > I am having a problem "registering" my Siemens 2410 - 2.4GHz handsets. > I bought (end 2000 - early 2001) the single line Siemens 2410 2.4GHz > phone and three additional handsets along with it. They all were > working fine till last week. > Last week one of my handset started flashing "Please Register" message > for absolutely unknown reasons. I tried registering it by punching in > the system PIN "0000" (factory default - and I have not changed it) > but nothing happened. The handset tries to register (or so it seems) > 'cause I get the message "Registering Base Station 1" and after > sometime I get back the "Please Register" message again. With the Siemens wireless phones, you need to have the base station set to register a new handset, on its menu, at the same time as the handset (one at a time) is set to register with a base station, on its own menu. You can (re)set the system PIN from the base station first. You can't register a unit that is already registered on the base station, so you will have to delete any handsets from the base station that need to be re-registered. > How can I varify the system PIN when none of my handsets show the > "system options" in the menu? Any one encountered this problem and > fixed it? Set the system PIN on the base station. Delete all problem mobiles from the base station menu and they will be deregistered, and as a result will be capable of registration anew. Michael D. Sullivan Bethesda, MD, USA (delete NOSPAM from address to mail me) ------------------------------ From: John David Galt Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 09:03:10 -0700 Organization: Diogenes the Cynic Hot-Tubbing Society jmeissen@aracnet.com wrote: > While I agree that we probably have way too many lawyers, and there > are far too many frivolous and downright ridiculous lawsuits, you > can't really compare the tobacco industry with cell phone > manufacturers or fast food companies. Not unless we discover that > McDonalds has been lacing their hamburgers with addictive substances > or that cell phone manufacturers have been suppressing evidence of > direct correlation between usage and brain tumors. > While I neither supported nor opposed the tobacco lawsuit, the fact > remains that the tobacco company marketed cigarettes as healthy and > health-improving products throughout the 50's and 60's in spite of > their own research, and throughout the latter part of the 20th century > continually denied any knowledge of addictive or cancer-causing > effects of their products. Those statements were never intended to fool anyone, and probably didn't; the tobacco executives were just covering their anatomy. Everyone has known since the Attorney General's warning in the sixties, at least, that tobacco causes cancer. The real problem is the busybody attitude that says if a product carries risks to the user, it should be banned. I say bah humbug! Everything we do in life carries risks and rewards. As adults, each of us is entitled to decide these tradeoffs for himself. No group, including "society", has any business taking that option away from any one of us. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Oh, you mean you do not believe the old adage that 'if it saves one person's life, it will worth it' ? Neither do I. PAT] ------------------------------ From: n_t_e_nn_y_@q_ual_c_o_m_m_.c_o_m (Nathan Tenny) Subject: Re: CDT Headline: Senate Committee Zeros Out TIA Funds Date: 11 Jul 2003 09:39:00 -0700 Organization: QUALCOMM Incorporated Reply-To: ntenny+r@qualcomm.com May I respectfully suggest that people posting on the "Total Information Awareness" program in this forum might want to spell it out? I just about had a heart attack when I saw this subject line and thought that the Telecommunications Industry Association had been defunded. (On reflection, I'm not sure it *gets* gummint funding, but the reflection followed the panic.) Nathan Tenny | When the world ends, there'll be no more Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA | air. That's why it's important to pollute | the air now. Before it's too late. | -- Kathy Acker [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I don't believe there will be any (or many) follow messages on 'Total Information Awareness' in this forum, but I'll suggest your idea anyway. PAT] ------------------------------ From: news01@jmatt.net (Matt Simpson) Subject: Re: Must be a Newbie Spammer Date: 11 Jul 2003 10:20:33 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Dave Phelps wrote in message news:: > A spammer actually replied to one of my spamcop reports. Here's what > he had to say. I received a response to a spamcop complaint once that I wish I'd saved because it was priceless. The poor spammer seemed genuinely shocked that I had reported her to an outside agency. Nobody had ever done that before. She only sent her spam (ok .. she didn't call it spam) to people that she thought really wanted to receive it. Many of them were profusely grateful to receive it. A few others were less grateful, and she had even received some hostile responses. And she supposed these poor bitter souls needed an outlet to vent their frustrations, and in a small way she was making the world a better place by providing an outlet for these people's anger. But nobody had EVER reported her to a third-party before, and she was amazed beyond belief that I had been so bothered by her spam that I had felt the need to take that step. It was hysterical. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That is really how it is for many of the newbie spammers. They honestly, truthfully see nothing wrong in what they are doing and cannot imagine why anyone would be so offended. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 14:35:49 -0400 From: The Old Bear Subject: "Digital Cellphones Friendly to the Hearing Impaired" As summarized in NewsScan for July 11, 2003: DIGITAL CELLPHONES FRIENDLY TO THE HEARING-IMPAIRED Up until now, digital cell phones have been exempt from certain of the FCC rules governing analog devices, but now the Commission has decided that by 2008 mobile phone manufacturers will have to offer at least some phones that work well for people who wear hearing aids. About one out of every ten people is hearing-impaired, and current cell phones emit some radio frequencies that interfere with hearing aids. Tom Wheeler, head of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) says the new FCC mandates are unnecessary, and suggests that a better solution would have been based on the European approach, which is focused on modifying hearing aids rather than cell phones to solve the problem. source: Dow Jones/AP (10 Jul 2003) http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6274578.htm ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #561 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sat Jul 12 19:48:55 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6CNmsu23438; Sat, 12 Jul 2003 19:48:55 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 19:48:55 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307122348.h6CNmsu23438@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #562 TELECOM Digest Sat, 12 Jul 2003 19:49:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 562 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Missouri Sues AT&T, SBC, WorldCom on Telemarketing (Monty Solomon) AOL Selling CDs, DVDs Direct, not Through Amazon (Monty Solomon) Credit Scoring Disputed / State Official Questions Use (Monty Solomon) A Web Site Causes Unease in Police (Monty Solomon) Re: No NID, Phone Line Troubleshooting (KellBot) Re: Problem "Registering" Siemens 2410 - 2.4GHz Handsets (Ron Chapman) Re: McDonalds Lawsuit (temp7@thewolfden.org) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List ('nuther Bob) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Ron Bean) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Geoffrey Welsh) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy (Charles Cryderman) Interesting AT&T Film (Lincoln J. King-Cliby) Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? (AES/newspost) Re: Must be a Newbie Spammer (Dave Phelps) Re: A Copyright Cold War? (Chuk Gleason) Re: Ambush TV/Pranks May Be Funny, but Victims Get Last Laugh (Robinson) Re: New 118 Directory Enquiries (Marcus Kern) Panasonic KX-FMC230 Fax Not Sending or Receiving (Les) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 20:41:31 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Missouri Sues AT&T, SBC, WorldCom on Telemarketing WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - Missouri Attorney General Jeremiah Nixon filed federal lawsuits on Thursday to stop AT&T Corp.(NYSE:T), SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) and WorldCom Inc. (PK:WCOEQ) from marketing services to customers who ask not to be called. The lawsuits alleged that the three local and long-distance telephone carriers with using high-pressure sales tactics to sell products and denied or interfered with requests by consumers in the state to be placed on a do-not-call list. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34825367 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 20:52:22 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: AOL Selling CDs, DVDs Direct, Not Through Amazon NEW YORK, July 11 (Reuters) - America Online said on Friday it is now selling DVDs and CDs directly as part of its push into digital music, ending a temporary link it had with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) until it was able to do so itself. An AOL spokeswoman said the Internet division of AOL Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:AOL) had been using Amazon on an interim basis to sell CDs and DVDs. She added that its pacts with the online retailer are still ongoing. The step to sell physical CDs and DVDs is part of AOL's efforts to get a bigger share of the digital music pie as it seeks out new sources of revenue to help in the online unit's turnaround and offset the shrinkage in its dial-up Internet service and the slump in ad spending from the dot-com heyday. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34824485 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 22:48:17 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Credit Scoring Disputed / State Qfficial Questions Use For Home By Bruce Mohl, Globe Staff, 7/11/2003 State Inspector General Gregory Sullivan said yesterday he intends to verify the alleged correlation between a consumer's credit rating and his likelihood of filing insurance claims, which is at the crux of regulations proposed by the Romney administration that would allow insurers to use credit scores in setting rates for homeowner's and renter's insurance. Sullivan said he will appear at a hearing on the proposed regulations today and ask Insurance Commissioner Julianne M. Bowler to turn over all information she has gathered on credit scoring and postpone any action on the regulations until he has had a chance to do his own investigation. The inspector general, who has subpoena power, said he may also seek documents from the credit scorers themselves. The credit-scoring regulations also drew the ire of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who sent a letter to Bowler expressing his opposition to her regulations and the use of credit scores in setting insurance rates. He said Massachusetts should follow the lead of Hawaii and Maryland in banning the use of credit scores by insurance companies. http://www.boston.com:80/dailyglobe2/192/business/Credit_scoring_disputed+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 11:41:40 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Web Site Causes Unease in Police By ADAM LIPTAK William Sheehan does not like the police. He expresses his views about what he calls police corruption in Washington State on his Web site, where he also posts lists of police officers' addresses, home phone numbers and Social Security numbers. State officials say those postings expose officers and their families to danger and invite identity theft. But neither litigation nor legislation has stopped Mr. Sheehan, who promises to expand his site to include every police and corrections officer in the state by the end of the year. Mr. Sheehan says he obtains the information lawfully, from voter registration, property, motor vehicle and other official records. But his provocative use of personal data raises questions about how the law should address the dissemination of accurate, publicly available information that is selected and made accessible in a way that may facilitate the invasion of privacy, computer crime, even violence. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/12/national/12NET.html [Lisa Minter note: When reading NY Times articles, users are invited to use our group login name 'telecomdigest' and our group password for same 'telecomdigest'. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: dorkfish@fishtop.com (KellBot) Subject: Re: No NID, Phone Line Troubleshooting Date: 11 Jul 2003 12:25:21 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Yeah, one of my roomates found out the hard way that there *is* some voltage in the wires. We also decided against working on them during a thunderstorm. This is what we go to college to learn, right :P Verizon guy came out today (on time! I was shocked), attatched the wire to the side of the house (it was just lying on the ground before) and installed a NID. Works beautifully now. Now I just have to figure out the best way to hook up a new jack. We only have one right now, and it'd be nice to have another ... shouldn't be hard, just a little inconvenient. Thanks for the help :) 'nuther Bob wrote in message news:... > Be aware that there *is* significant voltage in the wires. Don't let > them touch each other. Don't touch both at the same time, particularly > if you have any cuts on your fingers. Wear rubber shoes and don't > touch concrete walls, water/gas/oil pipes, other wiring, etc -- or > metal ladders touching any of that stuff -- as you work. If you don't > know anything about electricity and safe wiring, don't do this job. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 17:15:45 -0400 From: Ron Chapman Subject: Re: Problem "Registering" my Siemens 2410 - 2.4GHz Handsets In article , Michael D. Sullivan wrote: > With the Siemens wireless phones, you need to have the base station > set to register a new handset, on its menu, at the same time as the > handset (one at a time) is set to register with a base station, on its > own menu. You can (re)set the system PIN from the base station first. I have a Siemens 24something, the original but without the answering machine. The base is just a black box -- no display, no buttons, no controls whatsoever. There is no way to do anything from the base; absolutely everything is done from handsets that recognize the base. Without that, nothing can be done. So if the original question came from someone in that position, what now? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:26:09 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Re: McDonalds Lawsuit From: Reply-To: temp7@thewolfden.org 'nuther Bob wrote about Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List on Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:57:04 GMT: > ...As another example, one case that appears to be frivolous on the > surface was the McDonalds spilt coffee/burn case. At first glance, > it looks like another foolish "blame the company for my actions" > suit. However, if you read the testimony from MCDonalds own > witnesses, it becomes clear that it's a case of a company taking > specific actions that they knew were harmful to the public. (I can > post a few facts/testimony if you care). Despite over 700 previous > claims, McDonalds continued to sell dangerously hot coffee. Again, > companies have to be held responsible for their actions, just as > individuals must. > [Lisa Minter note: How is coffee supposed to be served, if not really > hot? That's how I like to drink mine. Lisa M.] Surely you can you accept that its possible for coffee to be too hot? What if it was served so hot that it gave you third degree burns on your lips when you tried to drink it, and required whirlpool treatments, skin grafting, and left you disabled for several weeks, as it did on the plaintiff's legs when she spilled it? What if they knowingly served it much too hot to drink immediately, assuming you'll let it sit for 5 minutes before drinking it, but never bother to tell you this? Did you know McDonalds testified it knew it's coffee is "not fit for consumption" as sold because of how hot it (still) is? I can't find the legal summary I read while bored one day, but there are all sorts of web sites that talk about this. It's not as silly as it first sounds, whether or not you agree with the final outcome. Not that most people would waste the time to actually find that out. http://www.newsaic.com/casecivil.html http://www.vanfirm.com/mcdonalds-coffee-lawsuit.htm http://www.newsaic.com/ftvseinfeld00e.html http://www.stellaawards.com/stella.html etc... ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 22:53:02 GMT On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 09:03:10 -0700, John David Galt wrote: > Those statements were never intended to fool anyone, and probably > didn't; the tobacco executives were just covering their anatomy. > Everyone has known since the Attorney General's warning in the > sixties, at least, that tobacco causes cancer. First of all, the only suits that have been effective have been those regarding smokers who started before the SG started requiring warning labels. The only reason they have been effective is that the tobacco companies *knowingly hid* information regarding health problems and took *specific actions* to hide this information. Do you think the tobacco companies would have settled if they thought they could have beaten the lawsuits ? Of course not. That's why they still fight 100% of them and deny responsibility. (And if someone continues to smoke with the current warnings in place, I agree that the tobacco company should prevail). > The real problem is the busybody attitude that says if a product > carries risks to the user, it should be banned. I say bah humbug! > Everything we do in life carries risks and rewards. As adults, each > of us is entitled to decide these tradeoffs for himself. No group, > including "society", has any business taking that option away from any > one of us. That's not the issue at all. That's not the reason the tobacco companies paid off. Lots of products are risky. Take a stroll through the insecticide department at Kmart. There's stuff in there that will blind you with a small spill in the eye. Companies just have to act responsibly. The tobacco companies didn't. Bob ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 21:21:27 -0500 From: Ron Bean Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List 'nuther Bob writes: > As another example, one case that appears to be frivolous on the > surface was the McDonalds spilt coffee/burn case. There should be a variant of Godwin's Law related to this case ... > [Lisa Minter note: How is coffee supposed to be served, if not really > hot? That's how I like to drink mine. Lisa M.] It was *much* too hot to drink. If it was hot enough to cause burns, what do you think would have happened if she had managed to actually drink some of it? ------------------------------ From: Geoffrey Welsh Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 11:05:31 -0400 Organization: Bell Sympatico > [Lisa Minter note: How is coffee supposed to be served, if not really > hot? That's how I like to drink mine. Lisa M.] It would seem obvious to me that no beverage meant for drinking should be served hot enough to cause third degree burns. See Geoffrey Welsh This address is not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Unsolicited bulk mail is spam, no matter what regulations (real or imagined) it complies with! FIGHT SPAM AND SCAMS: DISCONNECT CHINA FROM THE INTERNET! [Lisa Minter note: Well, I guess that may have been too hot. What I do (when I walk over to McDonalds, and elsewhere) with a cup of coffee is first barely touch it to my lips and if it is too hot, sit it back down on the table for a couple minutes. I *expect* it to be quite hot, and I never order it 'to go' when in a car or somewhere there could be a sudden stop causing it to spill. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Charles Cryderman Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 16:29:03 -0400 Master John McHarry wrote: > I think this is an argument for not making that information public > at all, not for keeping it off the Internet. Then Master John Higdon followed up with: > So, you would advocate having our legal processes in secret? Just > think of all the deals that could be made behind closed doors, then! > And then, if you made a rukus, the government could just whisk you > off to a late-night secret "trial" and throw you in the hoosgow > ... with no one the wiser. To the second John I say: I think you missed what the first John was talking about. What I believe he was referring to was the SSN and other information of that nature shouldn't be on the net. Then John number two stated: > Sarcasm aside, I think that I would rather see our legal processes > conducted in the light of day. Judges are quite capable of sealing records > when it is truly appropriate. I agree that it is better to have a very open judicial system, but I disagree on the second part. Judges should never be permitted to seal any record of the courts unless it relates to crimes toward children, then only identifiable information pertaining to the child or children involved in the case. To many cases are being settled and then sealed, denying the rest of the citizenry their rightful information. If you think about it how many hazard products would have been taken off the shelve had the companies that manufactured them not been able to seal off the court records in effect hiding their transgressions. Chip Cryderman ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 19:24:46 -0700 From: Name Withheld at Reader Request Subject: Interesting AT&T Film [ PAT - Please do not publish my email address, thanks] While going through Bell System films at archive.org, I found http://www.archive.org/movies/movies-details-db.php?collection=prelinger&collectionid=19351 The first minute or two is boring, but it gets more interesting, at about the 8:00 - 8:30 mark, you can see the punched tape that call data was collected on with a short (basic) discussion about what's represented. Lincoln ------------------------------ From: AES/newspost Subject: Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 12:31:18 -0700 Another intermediate step, between the TE01 circular mode and fiber approaches, was a lot of research at Bell Labs and elsewhere on periodic optical lensguides -- repeated sequences of long-focal-length lenses in the range of 10 cm diameter spaced on the order of hundreds of meters apart (I'm recalling these dimensions from memory) which periodically refocused a laser beam, allowing transmission over long distances with very low optical losses. This concept emerged from the work of Fox, Li, Boyd, Kogelnik, and others at the beginning of the 1960s on optical resonators for lasers, and is documented in numerous papers in the BSTJ of that era. Reflection losses at the lens surfaces were one of the main sources of attenuation in these lensguides, even with good optical coatings. This led to the invention and development of the intriguing concept of a "gas lens". Take a piece of cooled metal pipe say 10 cm in inner diameter and a meter long; inject hot air in the center and let it flow out the ends; and the radial distribution of temperature and optical density across the pipe will create a weak axially distributed lens that is essentially lossless and optically quite good. Calculating the relationship between the power associated with amount of hot gas flow needed and the optical power of the lens leads to the interesting figure of merit for such a lens of "diopters per kilowatt". I believe that the work on this concept went so far as testing (successfully) an underground line some hundreds of meters long at Holmdel, before the whole idea was abruptly killed off by the development of truly low-loss optical fibers by Corning researchers in the early 1970s. ------------------------------ From: Dave Phelps Subject: Re: Must be a Newbie Spammer Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 01:03:35 -0500 Organization: www.tippenring.com In article , news01@jmatt.net says... > I received a response to a spamcop complaint once that I wish I'd > saved because it was priceless. The poor spammer seemed genuinely > shocked that I had reported her to an outside agency. Well, the exchange is ongoing. This one is quite funny too. I think I'll post the whole thing on my website in a week or so when the spammer gets tired of hearing from me. The spammer actually reported *me* to the FTC for spamming. LOL. He also accused me, wrongly, of being a spamcop deputy. I wish I had the time. I'd love to harrass more spammers. He still hasn't answered my original question of how my unused-for-2-years email address ended up on his "double opt-in" list. This guy apparently is affiliated somehow with a place called EVN Inc, and I guess he sent my response to them, and they responded as well. They actually included in the email a terms and conditions paragraph that said I'm not allowed to make public this email, confidential, blah blah. I explained that since we had no contractual agreement, I have no duty to honor his "terms and conditions". I'm going to send them the link when I put it up. I guess I should have said that my "terms and conditions" include sending a bill for $10.00 to everyone that sends me spam, to recoup my cost of processing it. This is the most fun I've ever had with spam! Dave Phelps DD Networks www.ddnets.com deadspam=tippenring ------------------------------ From: Chuk Gleason Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 18:54:10 -0400 Subject: Re: A Copyright Cold War? I've had it credited to late-19th/early 20th century journalist Ambrose Bierce: Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage. So true, in so many other areas than politics. In the case of the current copyright issues, I feel that the copyright owners will, by winning the battles, lose the war. Their strident, shrieking mania actually distances them from the mainstream; the mainstream man in the street (or, this one at least) sees them as money grubbing, grasping harpies with only the industry's interests at heart. I'm sorry, that's an insult to harpies. More's the pity, there ain't anybody big enough to knock some sense into their heads like their mama's should. Chuk Gleason Cary, NC A Copyright Cold War? (Monty Solomon) > > Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2003 02:52:18 -0400 > From: Monty Solomon > Subject: A Copyright Cold War? ..................... > Abstract > Participants in the United States' ongoing debates over peer-to-peer > transfers of potentially copyrighted files have regularly trafficked > in the rhetoric of warfare. While it is easy to understand how > copyright holders would view peer-to-peer file transfers as a kind of > attack, the rhetorical turn toward the discourse of military conflict. ------------------------------ From: Paul Robinson Organization: Elusive-Butterfly.net Subject: Re: Ambush TV / Pranks May Be Funny, but Victims May Get Last Laugh Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 01:12:49 GMT > [Lisa Minter note: I think those shows are all mean and hateful. I am > told many people refuse to sign off giving permission for that junk > to be shown on television. Lisa M.] I saw an episode of one of those shows, and in the show they moved the guy's car, put in a shell that looked just like it, then destroyed the shell to make him think his car had been wrecked. It kind of dawned on me later when he found out it was just a prank that he was cool about it, because I realized when they moved his car without his permission they committed the crime of *Felony Auto Theft* and that the entire crew was probably also guilty of *conspiracy to commit felony auto theft*. If the guy had been mad enough to prosecute they might have been looking at jail time. Paul Robinson "Above all else... We shall go on..." "...And continue!" "If the lessons of history teach us anything it is that nobody learns the lessons that history teaches us." ------------------------------ From: mkern@o2.co.uk (Marcus Kern) Subject: Re: New 118 Directory Enquiries Date: 12 Jul 2003 15:40:52 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ > So you wondered who's behind all those different 118 directory enquiry > numbers in the UK and how much they cost ? Well, I find this mighty > confusing which is why I'm trying here to make some sense of it here: > http://www.marcuskern.com/info/118.htm > There are literally hundreds of 118 numbers and providers. I've only > fished out a few that I felt were worth mentioning. > Over time I'm aiming to get more and more useful information about the > available directory enquiries together here. If you like to help with > your comment (good or bad) please e-mail me at 118@marcuskern.com. > Currently the list is for National (UK) directory enquiries only. > Check it out: > http://www.marcuskern.com/info/118.htm > Cheers, > Marcus The site has been updated with the latest changes on all 118 providers: http://www.marcuskern.com/info/118.htm ------------------------------ From: leskahuna@yahoo.com (Les) Subject: Panasonic KX-FMC230 Fax Not Sending or Receiving Date: 12 Jul 2003 15:58:45 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hi, Not sure what's wrong with my fax with built in 900 mhz cordless phone. The phone works fine as well as the copy function. However, it will not send any faxes both automatically or manual mode. If I do it automatically, the paper feeds through and saves it in the memory and keeps trying to send it but keeps failing. If I do it manually, by turning on the speaeker phone, dialing the #, and pressing start after hearing the fax tone on the other side, it starts the hand shake and the LCD will read "OTHER FAX NOT REPLY" although I know the fax machine is working. It will not receive from other machines as well and just hangs up. Anyone know what's wrong? Thanks, Lester ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #562 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jul 13 17:27:53 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6DLRr425524; Sun, 13 Jul 2003 17:27:53 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 17:27:53 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307132127.h6DLRr425524@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #563 TELECOM Digest Sun, 13 Jul 2003 17:28:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 563 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Cellular Wiretaps: Local Police Do it, Too (Danny Burstein) Walk-By Hacking (Monty Solomon) Is VOIP Ready For Prime Time? (Monty Solomon) Cards Conjure Fears of 1984 (Monty Solomon) Re: A Web Site Causes Unease in Police (J Kelly) Re: A Web Site Causes Unease in Police (Dave Phelps) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List ('nuther Bob) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Richard Johnson) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Tom Betz) Re: Panasonic KX-FMC230 Fax Not Sending or Receiving (Gail M. Hall) Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes (John R. Levine) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (Jay R. Ashworth) Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues (Jay R. Ashworth) Re: Panasonic KX-FMC230 Fax Not Sending or Receiving (Robert Bonomi) Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? (Sep) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Danny Burstein Subject: Cellular Wiretaps: Local Police do it, Too Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 03:48:49 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC [Submitters note: the story refers to the continuing, and very extended and delayed, investigation into a fire at a Seton Hall dormitory which killed three students back on 19-Jan-2000] Seton fire suspects' cell phones were tapped Authorities notify Ryan, LePore and his parents of conversations intercepted in 2001 Saturday, July 12, 2003 BY BRIAN T. MURRAY Star-Ledger Staff Investigators in the fatal Seton Hall University dormitory fire wiretapped the cell phones of the two suspects in the case, along with the home phone of one suspect's family, according to Superior Court notification letters sent to the family members and friends whose conversations were picked up in the eavesdropping. The wiretapping of Sean Ryan and Joseph LePore, both of Florham Park, was done in addition to the placement of electronic eavesdropping devices in LePore's home. State Police and investigators with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, acting on a warrant, entered the LePore house on Wednesday to retrieve the bugs. Ryan, LePore and their families were unaware of the wiretapping until "Inventory Notices" were delivered by certified mail to family and friends of the suspects on Thursday, according to attorneys. Signed by Superior Court Judge Joseph A. Falcone on Tuesday, the notices explained that the judge authorized the wiretaps on July 3, 2001, and that he sealed the tapes of the intercepted conversations after the wiretapping ended weeks later. [ snippety snip, rest of story, available for the moment, at: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-4/105798819131370.xml an earlier story whcih talks about the "bugs" in the home: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-4/105781774621520.xml Comment: nothing in the story describes the actual mechanism of the "wiretap". Options certainly include a direct feed from the cellular company's MTSO or a "cloned" phone. Anyone know specifics? _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 12:28:15 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Walk-By Hacking By ERIK SHERMAN "We've got 12 ... wait, 13. Another just came in!" On the hunt for 30 seconds, Gary Morse is jazzed. We've walked about 45 feet down Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, and he has been counting the number of chirrups coming from the speaker of his hand-held computer. Each represents potential prey: wireless networks in the offices and apartments above us. So far, we have had more than a dozen chances to sneak Internet access, reap user ID's and passwords and otherwise peer into the private affairs of individuals and businesses. Morse is an expert -- president of Razorpoint Security Technologies Inc., a computer security consulting firm that helps companies find their weak spots and fix them -- and a self-described 'professional hacker.' He knows dozens of tricks to ease his way into any of the networks he has found. Most users don't realize that left untended, the wireless technology that can quickly connect computers will literally broadcast every bit of transmitted information to anyone with a computer and a $40 wireless networking card. The software package running on Morse's hand-held is called Kismet, from a Turkish-derived word meaning fate. The program uses the wireless card like a police band scanner, noting each wireless network that makes its presence known. "I could put it in my pocket and record all the networks without anyone seeing," he says. The program is available to security experts and would-be hackers for a perfectly legal and free download. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/13/magazine/13HACKING.html [Lisa Minter note: To read articles in NY Times, readers here are invited to use the group login name 'telecomdigest' and the group password 'telecomdigest' in order to protect personal privacy and partially avoid spam. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 12:52:44 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Is VOIP Ready For Prime Time? By Ben Charny Staff Writer, CNET News.com Internet phone calling is poised for a major boost as cable giants get into the game, but some of the biggest players are holding back. While still just a trickle, early defectors to voice over IP (VOIP) represent the vanguard in a trend that some analysts believe could soon roil the communications industry. Independent VOIP providers such as Vonage and 8x8 are beginning to steal consumers from tradition phone operators with flat-rate VOIP plans that cost between $20 and $40 a month for local and long distance calls. Even as momentum for VOIP mounts, however, some of the biggest cable companies have begun to suggest that the technology isn't yet ready for the masses. ... http://news.com.com/2100-1037-1024883.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 21:44:30 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Cards Conjure Fears of 1984 By Stephan Ohr EE Times Critics were up in arms earlier this year when Philips Semiconductors announced prematurely that a potential customer, clothing maker Benetton, would use its RFID tags to track inventories on department store shelves. But the flap over the privacy consequences of identification technology at the retail level may have been just a warm-up. http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20030707S0040 ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Re: A Web Site Causes Unease in Police Date: 12 Jul 2003 17:32:26 -0700 Organization: Newsguy News Service [http://newsguy.com] How is this any different that having Court Records online? This is just like some cases in Iowa where property tax info was posted online, sometimes including pictures and drawings of the interiors of houses. But of course, certain public employees properties were excluded from the website for "privacy" reasons. If some peoples personal info is okay to post, then *everybodies* should be fair game. In article , Monty says ... > By ADAM LIPTAK > William Sheehan does not like the police. He expresses his views about > what he calls police corruption in Washington State on his Web site, > where he also posts lists of police officers' addresses, home phone > numbers and Social Security numbers. > State officials say those postings expose officers and their families > to danger and invite identity theft. But neither litigation nor > legislation has stopped Mr. Sheehan, who promises to expand his site > to include every police and corrections officer in the state by the > end of the year. > Mr. Sheehan says he obtains the information lawfully, from voter > registration, property, motor vehicle and other official records. But > his provocative use of personal data raises questions about how the > law should address the dissemination of accurate, publicly available > information that is selected and made accessible in a way that may > facilitate the invasion of privacy, computer crime, even violence. > http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/12/national/12NET.html > [Lisa Minter note: When reading NY Times articles, users are invited > to use our group login name 'telecomdigest' and our group password for > same 'telecomdigest'. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Dave Phelps Subject: Re: A Web Site Causes Unease in Police Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 20:53:26 -0500 Organization: www.tippenring.com In article , monty@roscom.com says: > By ADAM LIPTAK > William Sheehan does not like the police. He expresses his views about > what he calls police corruption in Washington State on his Web site, > where he also posts lists of police officers' addresses, home phone > numbers and Social Security numbers. I don't see the problem with someone taking any public information and consolidating it into any form he wants. After all, it is *publicly* available information. Same thing with that college student whose successful project has been to map communications infrastructure. He's now being interviewed by government officials about his information. The problem is, it's public info. You can't tell people what they can and can't do with public information. The real solution, in this case for example, is to not make police officers' home addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, etc. public. I would be truly perturbed if my employer made my information public. It would be completely different if this person was making this information public, after aquiring it from other non-public sources. Then he could be in big trouble. However, that's not the case apparently. If I were the police officers, I would consider a class-action against the organization that publicized the information in the first place. It's a classic case of "don't kill the messenger." Dave Phelps DD Networks www.ddnets.com deadspam=tippenring ------------------------------ From: 'nuther Bob Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 03:25:04 GMT On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 11:05:31 -0400, Geoffrey Welsh wrote: > It would seem obvious to me that no beverage meant for drinking should > be served hot enough to cause third degree burns. See > See, now you're forcing me to post the details :-) First, McDonalds requires all franchises to do everything by the book. Exactly the same, no exceptions. The book said that they had to keep the coffee between 180 and 190 degrees. This is scalding hot. Temperatures above 140 degrees are considered dangerous to skin. McDonalds *own* expert testified to that fact. He also testified that they knew this, but they had no intention of changing their rules. The plaintiff suffered *third degree* burns over 6% of her body. She was in the hospital 6 days and required skin grafts. She initially only asked that McDonalds cover her medical bills. They refused. She then contracted an attorney and sued. What lost the case for MCDonalds, IMHO, is the fact that they had 700 reported claims for burns from coffee according to the companies own records. In other words, the plaintiff was the 701st time McDonalds had been made aware of the issue -- yet they continued to engage in the behavior. In fact, the trial judge, in pronouncing the judgement, called McDonalds conduct "reckless, callous and willful". Bob ------------------------------ From: Richard Johnson Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 01:21:48 -0600 Organization: Whirlpools Suck the Breath Out of You Reply-To: rnews@river.com In article , PAT wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here again, we have a case of getting > into things not your own (someone else's phone number) and forging a > document or three for your own interests, then blaming *your own > dishonesty* on the 'flaws' in someone else's work. While far from > perfect, the way the web site is set up now is you go there and enter > both the phone number to be listed *AND* a valid email address for > yourself. You then recieve back *in email, almost immediatly* a > request to confirm what you have done. You must click on the link > provided at that point and proceed to 'verify' your entry. And your > IP address is noted at the same time for their logs. PAT] Sadly, aggressive teleslimers, like spammers and other crooks, are unlikely to be swayed by arguments that they 'play nice.' The smarter among them will use open proxies to launder their confirmations. Others won't care, as the job will be outsourced to users of dialup ISPs in India or similar places outside the jurisdiction of the FTC. All they need is plausible deniability. The fact remains that AT&T's donotcall.gov site is poorly designed for its stated purpose. It is not even close to secure enough to prevent such likely attacks. An email address requirement does nothing to enhance the security. The requirement is, in fact, perhaps worthy of mention on . This leads me, as a present paranoid security profesional who in the past worked for a company in the privacy violation industry, to suspect other reasons for the email address requirement. The gathering of email addresses associated with phone numbers, from those too naive to use throwaway email addresses (the majority of users, still), will provide a data goldmine for epending and similar nefarious marketer purposes. Who controls the list? Follow the money. Richard To reply via email, make sure you don't enter the whirlpool on river left. My mailbox. My property. My personal space. My rules. Deal with it. http://www.river.com/users/share/cluetrain/ ------------------------------ From: Tom Betz Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 23:54:58 UTC Organization: XOme Quoth Tom Betz in news:telecom22.555.6@telecom-digest.org: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here again, we have a case of getting > into things not your own (someone else's phone number) and forging a > document or three for your own interests, then blaming *your own > dishonesty* on the 'flaws' in someone else's work. MY DISHONESTY? I wouldn't do such a thing; but I'm justifiably suspicious of the telemarketer scum. Just ask anyone who's tried to enforce the laws against junk faxing to what lengths fax spammers will go to forge documentation "proving" that plaintiffs requested their junk faxes. Fortunately, the day after that radio show I mentioned aired, the "unlist my phone number" option mysteriously disappeared from the donotcall.gov site. And good riddance to it. ------------------------------ From: Gail M. Hall Subject: Re: Panasonic KX-FMC230 Fax Not Sending or Receiving Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 20:45:38 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net On 12 Jul 2003 15:58:45 -0700, in comp.dcom.telecom message , leskahuna@yahoo.com (Les) wrote: > Hi, > Not sure what's wrong with my fax with built in 900 mhz cordless > phone. The phone works fine as well as the copy function. However, > it will not send any faxes both automatically or manual mode. If I do > it automatically, the paper feeds through and saves it in the memory > and keeps trying to send it but keeps failing. If I do it manually, > by turning on the speaeker phone, dialing the #, and pressing start > after hearing the fax tone on the other side, it starts the hand shake > and the LCD will read "OTHER FAX NOT REPLY" although I know the fax > machine is working. It will not receive from other machines as well > and just hangs up. > Anyone know what's wrong? I don't have your type of fax, and I don't know why yours is acting that way. But I had a problem using my Sharp fax on our line that has extensions connected to it. It worked fine on a line that had nothing else connected to it. I wonder if your phone line has more than one phone attached to it and if that might be the cause of your problem. Just why mine acted that way I don't know. Were sounds from the other phones or the answering machine disturbing the perception of the fax? When on a line by itself, I could use an answering machine with the fax machine. It was set up so you could plug in the answering machine to the wall, and hook the fax to the answering machine. But it apparently didn't like stuff "on the side." I've had that fax machine for several years, so I suspect that phone lines now have features and sounds on them that my fax doesn't understand. I no longer have it connected. I got too much junk! And I am no longer running the business that I needed the fax for. Also, the phone part had no way of turning off the ringer. Since it was just a fax, I didn't want to have it ringing in the night, etc. Your set sounds like a nice idea -- if it would work. It would be nice to have a fax machine with a cordless phone. A person doesn't want to have to have the computer on all the time, especially in stormy weather. I hope someone knows the answer to your problem! Gail in Ohio USA ------------------------------ Date: 13 Jul 2003 03:55:35 -0000 From: johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > Telecom Digest is the only group outside of our old Cleveland Free-Net > where moderators do this. I wonder if this was an earlier custom that > was later changed for most usenet groups later on. It's an old custom, but Telecom is hardly the only place with actual live editors that add notes. Drop by comp.compilers sometime, for example. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 330 5711 johnl@iecc.com Village Trustee and Sewer Commissioner http://iecc.com/johnl Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail ------------------------------ From: Jay R. Ashworth Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Reply-To: jra@baylink.com Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 03:57:18 GMT Organization: RoadRunner - Central Florida Stanley settled back into the couch, and TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126) <6212hgk{invert}@ newsguy.com> by saying to him: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Privacy' has no place in the same >> sentence as 'open and public judicial proceedings'. > Yes, it does. > Making all details regarding participants in civil matters exposes > them to identity theft. > If you have ever filed for bankruptcy, your SSN, full name and address > are now part of the court record. > May I please have your SSN, full name and address, and post that on > the web for all the world to see? > Kinda puts a different light on the issue. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Putting those records on the Internet > does nothing a dedicated snooper could not do by sitting down at your > local courthouse and copying the files by hand. Your problem obviously > is with the idea of having an open judicial system in this country. The > Internet has added nothing except the convenience of automated reporting > to a system that was around from even before my time. If you want to > complain about something, then complain how people's morals and ethics > in the handling of 'sensitive' information have not kept pace with the > speed of technology, but don't blame the technology. PAT] Well, in fact, Pat, it does. Hi. Nice to be back. :-) It's two or maybe three orders of magnitude easier to collect information posted to the net than it would be if you had to drive, in person, to 104 county courthouses all over Florida to get a bunch of information like this... and that *does* make it a different thing. A difference in degree *becomes* a difference in sorts, when it gets large enough. And brushing the topic off isn't going to help much. As long as people keep using SSN as an authenticator, which it's not intended to be. Cheers, Jay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But people did not 'drive around to 104 different county courthouses all over Florida' to get records. Interchange of records is done through cooperative snydicates of record collectors. Let's say I here in Kansas want records from Florida. You in Florida want records from Kansas. *I* pull the *Kansas* records and sent copies to you. *You* pull the *Florida* records and send them to me. We both send our records to someone in New York and California and someone in those places sends their records to us. Now all of us record collectors (refer to us as 'credit bureaus' for example) have all the records. All any of us did was go to our own courthouse locally, and make dozens of copies to send around. The syndicate of record collectors have been organ- ized for many, many years even back in pre-computer days. 'Trans- Union Credit Information Corporation' for example began its life back in about 1920 as the 'Chicago Credit Bureau'. And no one had to drive from one courthouse to another. Record collecting and dissemination is a very old industry. If I need ten of your records and you need only nine of my records then you pay me in net for one record. Or what we actually do is make an annual settlement of the differences, etc. And we charge each other the 'wholesale' rate for record retrieval and copying so we can each charge our clients the 'retail' rate and make a profit at it. Nothing new is happening, but I agree it has gotten a lot easier to maintain the records. Like all pre-computer days large offices with thousands of clerks shuffling papers around (telco for example or Amoco/Diners Club credit card) now they *in general* need fewer employees on the payroll to do the same job. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Jay R. Ashworth Subject: Re: Online Court Records Raise Privacy Issues Reply-To: jra@baylink.com Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 03:58:50 GMT Organization: RoadRunner - Central Florida Stanley settled back into the couch, and Steven J Sobol said to him: >> Making all details regarding participants in civil matters exposes >> them to identity theft. > So don't place the critical stuff like SSN's online. Everything else > belongs online. The problem isn't that the SSN is online ... .... it's that it's *critical*. Responding now to TELECOM Digest Editor: > Your complaint needs to be with the people who break the law, not the > people who have improved on the data transfer mechanism. PAT] Well, perhaps. But there are ethical considerations that are incumbent upon you as a systems designer when you create computer systems -- and while some of them surely amount to "bad things will be easier", and that doesn't move the "bad" from the doers to you -- that doesn't make the fact that more bad may happen something you're completely immune from responsibility for, either. ACM has a set of programmer ethics on this topic: http://www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm Sure, we should "get" the crooks. But we should also make sure we're not making their job gratuitously easier. John Higdon said: > In article , John McHarry > wrote: >> I think this is an argument for not making that information public at >> all, not for keeping it off the Internet. > So, you would advocate having our legal processes in secret? Just > think of all the deals that could be made behind closed doors, then! > And then, if you made a rukus, the government could just whisk you off > to a late-night secret "trial" and throw you in the hoosgow ... with > no one the wiser. Aw, cmon; John. Spare the reductio ad absurdum; that's not what John said. Haven't you mellowed at all in ten years? ;-) Cheers, Jay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And I strongly suggest you all go back and read again, carefully the special issue (560) of TELECOM Digest on Friday (reprinted from the Digest in 1994) of the speech given in 1990 -- just as we were starting to really get into public computing big time -- by Neil Postman to the German IBM convention. Remember, all tehnology has good points and bad points; a trade off. Computers are supposed to make the world a better place, right? After you re-read that speech, then step in front of a mirror and peek at your enemy. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Panasonic KX-FMC230 Fax Not Sending or Receiving Organization: Not Much From: bonomi@c-ns (Robert Bonomi) Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 13:18:49 GMT In article , Les wrote: > Not sure what's wrong with my fax with built in 900 mhz cordless > phone. The phone works fine as well as the copy function. However, > it will not send any faxes both automatically or manual mode. If I do > it automatically, the paper feeds through and saves it in the memory > and keeps trying to send it but keeps failing. If I do it manually, > by turning on the speaeker phone, dialing the #, and pressing start > after hearing the fax tone on the other side, it starts the hand shake > and the LCD will read "OTHER FAX NOT REPLY" although I know the fax > machine is working. It will not receive from other machines as well > and just hangs up. > Anyone know what's wrong? It's *BROKEN*. The problem appears to be obvious. The fax processing logic cannot 'hear' the incoming audio. ------------------------------ From: sep@riotech.com (Sep) Subject: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? Date: 13 Jul 2003 06:21:50 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I have a small business with 10 4-line phones that support up to 12 or so extensions. So I have what I need to answer multiple lines, transfer calls, etc. What I'm missing is to be able to have voice mailboxes for a few individuals, so when someone calls and asks to be transferred to someone's voicemail, I could do that. Is this possible? Right now all I can do is write down a message on a stickynote :( Your advice is much appreciated. -Sep ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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End of TELECOM Digest V22 #563 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jul 14 16:40:00 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6EKdx014944; Mon, 14 Jul 2003 16:40:00 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 16:40:00 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307142040.h6EKdx014944@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #564 TELECOM Digest Mon, 14 Jul 2003 16:40:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 564 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Re: McDonalds Lawsuit (Dana) Re: Cellular Wiretaps: Local Police do it, Too (Dana) Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes (Steven J. Sobol) Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes (Gail M. Hall) The Sound of Silence (Monty Solomon) Privacy Rights Under Threat by Lawmakers (Monty Solomon) A Virginia Law Aids Identity Theft Victims (Monty Solomon) Pleasure Hunt/'Geocaching' Buccaneers Pursue Hidden Bounty (M Solomon) 411 Calling ME? (News Reader) Re: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? (Dave Phelps) Re: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? (SELLCOM Tech support) Re: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? (A Beilby) Valcom Digital Feedback Eliminator (Paging System) (KI7G) Re: Sprint Predicts End Of Universe! (Rovilio Rangas) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dana Subject: Re: McDonalds Lawsuit Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 12:19:01 -0800 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com wrote in message news:telecom22.562.7@telecom-digest.org: > 'nuther Bob wrote about Re: Glitches Hit > FTC 'Do-not-Call' List on Fri, 11 Jul 2003 03:57:04 GMT: >> ...As another example, one case that appears to be frivolous on the >> surface was the McDonalds spilt coffee/burn case. At first glance, >> it looks like another foolish "blame the company for my actions" And it was. The lady spilled hot coffee on herself while trying to put the cream and sugar in. The big question is why she was doing that in her lap, vice on the floor of the vehicle, especially since she was the passenger. >> [Lisa Minter note: How is coffee supposed to be served, if not really >> hot? That's how I like to drink mine. Lisa M.] > Surely you can you accept that its possible for coffee to be too hot? Surely you can accept that people should be responsible for their own well being. > What if it was served so hot that it gave you third degree burns on > your lips when you tried to drink it Everyone with common sense knows they have to let the coffee cool off a little before they drink it. ------------------------------ From: Dana Subject: Re: Cellular Wiretaps: Local Police do it, Too Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 13:47:49 -0800 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Danny Burstein wrote in message news:telecom22.563.1@telecom-digest.org: > Comment: nothing in the story describes the actual mechanism of the > "wiretap". Options certainly include a direct feed from the cellular > company's MTSO or a "cloned" phone. Anyone know specifics? Why? ------------------------------ From: Steven J. Sobol Subject: Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 23:07:18 -0000 Organization: JustThe.net LLC From John R. Levine (johnl@iecc.com): >> Telecom Digest is the only group outside of our old Cleveland Free-Net >> where moderators do this. I wonder if this was an earlier custom that >> was later changed for most usenet groups later on. > It's an old custom, but Telecom is hardly the only place with actual > live editors that add notes. Drop by comp.compilers sometime, for > example. Or rec.radio.broadcasting. I generally just follow up to posts in threads in which I'm interested in, but I occasionally pull a Townson here and there. :) Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge, JustThe.net "Microsoft must think they're a navy, they open so many ports." --Ben Scott on the ISP-TECH mailing list, 18 June 2003 [Lisa Minter note: Dear Nerd in Charge, exactly what do you do when you 'pull a Townson here and there'? Please advise how that works. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Gail M. Hall Subject: Re: Question About TELECOM Digest Editor's Notes Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 14:50:45 -0400 Reply-To: gmhall@apk.net On 13 Jul 2003 03:55:35 -0000, johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) wrote: >> Telecom Digest is the only group outside of our old Cleveland Free-Net >> where moderators do this. I wonder if this was an earlier custom that >> was later changed for most usenet groups later on. > It's an old custom, but Telecom is hardly the only place with actual > live editors that add notes. Drop by comp.compilers sometime, for > example. You're right! I meant to insert "that I have seen" but somehow let that go by without inserting it. The closest I ever got to programming for computers was writing WordPerfect macros and a few scripts for Procomm. I doubt if *real* programmers call that "programming"! I am the kind that has trouble figuring out how to get my voice mail messages from my cell phone provider. I think I'm going to ask them to just take it off because any messages I have been able to retrieve are either wrong numbers or spam, er I mean telemarketers' pitches. I tried the newsgroup for my service, but most of the messages were way over my head. So I'll just take your word about the comp.compilers group. Thanks for pointing out my error! Gail in Ohio USA ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 09:07:59 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Sound of Silence Shhh! Bose's new noise-cancellation headset is the first to mute the outside world without adding an annoying hiss of its own. By Simson Garfinkel Gadget Master July 9, 2003 Hearing is believing. Or rather, with the new Bose QuietComfort 2 headsets, it's not hearing that's believing. Slip on this headset, turn on the power to activate the QC2's noise canceling circuitry, and you'll suddenly hear less of the background noise around you. Less ventilation equipment, less street noise, less people talking in the background-less everything. Keep the headset on, and you'll soon start to notice your breathing and your beating heart. It's as if someone behind your back reached out, found the volume control for the world, and turned it way, way, down. http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_garfinkel070903.asp ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 20:23:54 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Privacy Rights Under Threat by Lawmakers By Dan Gillmor Mercury News Technology Columnist In the constant battle to preserve what's left of our privacy and roll back some of the invasions we've already suffered, one reality is all too clear: Elected officials are not on our side. Last week brought the latest perversion of the public will, the cowardly refusal of the California Legislature to enact even modest improvements in financial privacy. The voters will do it instead, in a ballot measure next year. Meanwhile, state and federal lawmakers are almost totally oblivious to future threats, including some that should be dealt with before they cause trouble. For example, retailers will soon be installing little identifying radios, a technology known as RFID, into items they sell, enabling a host of new privacy invasions that could make the status quo seem benign. We all understand why lawmakers hold the public good, and will, in such contempt. They tend to vote on behalf of their financial benefactors. Commercial interests see our privacy as a barrier to their business. Game over? No. We have to care enough to take matters into our own hands. Pressuring politicians is vital, but it's plainly not enough. We'll need to do a little multitasking to retrieve our right to be left alone. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6293890.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 22:25:39 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: A Virginia Law Aids Identity Theft Victims By Michael D. Shear, Washington Post, 7/13/2003 RICHMOND, Va. -- Federal and state police put the handcuffs on 32-year-old Angel Gonzales in front of his wife and two young children just as the neighborhood school bus pulled up. "We're taking your father to jail," they told his 6-year-old daughter, walking Gonzales to the cruiser as his neighbors gawked. The police had nabbed Gonzales, who lives in the Tidewater area of Virginia, on a Las Vegas fugitive warrant on cocaine charges. The warrant said he was armed and dangerous. Ambur Daley, 27, was arrested in a North Carolina airport as she returned from visiting her grandmother in Canada. The Staunton, Va., resident was booked, fingerprinted, and kept overnight in jail, accused of writing bad checks. In fact, neither Daley nor Gonzales had done anything wrong. The crimes they were accused of were committed by phantoms -- identity thieves who have stolen their names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and telephone numbers. Dependent on electronic records in databanks, police across the nation were chasing the wrong people. Both now have a Virginia Identity Theft Passport, the first two victims to participate in a program aimed at giving people such as Daley and Gonzales a fighting chance in convincing police of their innocence. A state law creating the program took effect July 1. Issued by a judge and bearing the seal of Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, the passport is intended to aid Virginia residents who are the victims of identity theft. http://www.boston.com:80/dailyglobe2/194/nation/A_Virginia_law_aids_identity_theft_victims+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 22:55:00 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Pleasure Hunt / 'Geocaching' Buccaneers Pursue Hidden Bounty Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, July 11, 2003 Dave Grenewetzki, 52, was on bended knee, rooting through bushes in downtown San Rafael, and eliciting bewildered looks from nearby beauty-school students. With a global positioning system unit in one hand, he appeared to be either a tech-savvy bag man or an obsessed arborist. He was neither. He was digging for treasure that was hidden by his friend Don Forman, using only the treasure's GPS coordinates - its longitude and latitude - and a clue: "Think about some of the old rock & roll music and the lyrics. You might get an Education." Forman stood by, tight-lipped. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/07/11/CC281007.DTL ------------------------------ From: News Reader Subject: 411 Calling ME? Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 08:54:39 -0400 So here's a new one ... at 7:12 am (thanks for waking me up!), I got a call from 413-773-1426. The caller ID name info said "Bell Atlantic." I didn't answer the call, and at first I thought maybe it was a cell phone or something. I didn't recognize the number, but I decided to call it back about an hour later even though it was long distance (I'm in 617-776-xxxx). I was greeted with "Bell Atlantic Nationwide 411, city and state please?" So, out of curiosity ... 1. Why did 411 call me? 2. Why did it show up as this "regular" 10-digit (non-411) number? 3. How am I going to be charged for this call? As a regular toll call? As a 411 call? Verizon is my LEC, [a reseller of] Sprint is my LD provider -- but I'm not sure who would handle an in-state toll call (413 is Western MA and I'm in the Boston area). 4. Why is it still "Bell Atlantic" (both on the Caller ID and on the 411 voice greeting)? I really wonder what I would have gotten if I had answered the call ... [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You probably would have recieved a wrong number call from some directory operator/clerk making a personal outgoing call (but dialed the wrong number). Calls to '411' are treated (just like '611' used to be where it did or still exists) as internal 'speed dial' numbers. They are translated into some seven or ten digit number which terminates on an ACD (automatic call distributor) then distributed around the room to available clerks to take the calls. So you dial 411 or 1-411 or whatever, the central office translates it into XXX-XXXX; it hits the ACD for that subscriber (in this case telco itself) and gets routed to an available 'operator' for DA services. 611 is done the same way. So is zero, or the 'oh' operator. I had an *identical* experience several years ago. I had called in to repair service on 611 to report something I wanted changed/fixed. The person took the order and said if it was needed, someone would call me back later. I then went out. When I returned home later I found a call on the caller-ID from 'Illinois Bell' at some local seven digit number. I dialed the number back; some lady answered saying 'Repair Service, how may I help you?' I asked for my contact person, talked to them, the task soon got finished. But the catch was, about ten minutes later I got a *very nasty* call from a supervisor in repair who reamed me out good then told me I was *never again* to 'override the repair service process' by calling in on a direct number like that. "You, sir, are only to dial 611 when you want something from us. Never call direct to a repair service clerk like that again." When I explained all I had done was return a call I saw on my caller-ID unit she had nothing more to say! I strongly suspect this is what happened to you. If you personally know or knew some directory person who might have been trying to call you on some personal matter, that person tried to call you from their 'office' on a company telephone. Telco 'encourages' employees to use pay phones in the lunchroom to make personal calls, but not all telco employees follow the rules obviously, and they can make outside calls from their work stations. That is how you got that (albiet, apparently wrong number) call. If you had 'returned the call' normally, by dialing 411 or 555-1212 or whatever applies, then you would have been billed at normal rates for an information call. By dialing the seven/ten digit number, you will be billed at normal seven/ten digit call rates, plus which you will always bypass the ACD and get the person who sits at that work station. Ditto with 555-1212, it is just translated and sent to wherever telco sends those calls, at directory assistance rates. I would doubt that telco even knows those work station phones (presum- ably for *inbound only* calls register their own caller ID when making outbound calls or that they are saying 'Bell Atlantic' or whatever. I seriously doubt also that the person was calling you on any official company business. Does that explain it? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Dave Phelps Subject: Re: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 19:44:26 -0500 Organization: www.tippenring.com In article , sep@riotech.com says: > I have a small business with 10 4-line phones that support up to 12 or > so extensions. So I have what I need to answer multiple lines, > transfer calls, etc. What I'm missing is to be able to have voice > mailboxes for a few individuals, so when someone calls and asks to be > transferred to someone's voicemail, I could do that. Is this > possible? Right now all I can do is write down a message on a > stickynote :( > Your advice is much appreciated. > -Sep If the LEC voicemail offering won't do what you want, then you're in the market for a phone system, I would think. I'm surprised you don't have a lot of problems with those phones. I'm actually surprised they still ring. You must be close to the central office. Dave Phelps DD Networks www.ddnets.com deadspam=tippenring ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 14:17:14 -0400 Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com sep@riotech.com (Sep) posted on that vast internet thingie: > I have a small business with 10 4-line phones that support up to 12 or > so extensions. So I have what I need to answer multiple lines, > transfer calls, etc. What I'm missing is to be able to have voice > mailboxes for a few individuals, so when someone calls and asks to be > transferred to someone's voicemail, I could do that. Is this > possible? Right now all I can do is write down a message on a > stickynote :( > Your advice is much appreciated. I can't promise how it would integrate with your system but the Panasonic KX-TG4000b has some nice voicemail features, but for cordless phones. (note: it ONLY creates a voicemail box when a cordless unit is registered to the base). Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Vtech 5.8Ghz EnGenius NEW EP490 4line (the longest range), Panasonic cordless, Twinhead notebooks, WatchGuard firewall, Okidata, Polycom! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: beilby@cuic.ca (A Beilby) Subject: Re: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? Date: 14 Jul 2003 11:19:55 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ sep@riotech.com (Sep) wrote in message news:: > I have a small business with 10 4-line phones that support up to 12 or > so extensions. So I have what I need to answer multiple lines, > transfer calls, etc. What I'm missing is to be able to have voice > mailboxes for a few individuals, so when someone calls and asks to be > transferred to someone's voicemail, I could do that. Is this > possible? Right now all I can do is write down a message on a > stickynote :( > Your advice is much appreciated. > -Sep I had an office with IBM 412 (4 line sets, not requiring a keysystem), but they can't give you a voicemail per extension. You can get a group voicemail from your carrier ( eg the the main number has a prompted menu asking people to choose who they want to leave a message for) for a few bucks extra per month, but this only really works for out of hours messages. In theory you can connect an answer machine to one of the 4 lines ( or even a separate 5th line), so that when you want to forward a call to voicemail, you transfer to the external number of line 4. We opted for a third party virtual voicemail messaging service where a company ( eg Tigertel, Unite) give you a local external phone number that acts as a message box. It can then receive faxes and messages, and still be retrieved remotely, and will also allow others in the office to transfer the call. You then set the extn to forward offsite to the external number. It costs around $15/mth/mailbox, but is okay if you only have 2-3 people who need VM. We got bigger, and moved to an Avaya Merlin with built-in voicemail! Hope that helps. Alex Beilby ------------------------------ From: KI7G Subject: EBay Auction: Valcom Digital Feedback Eliminator (Paging System) Organization: Comcast Online Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 15:21:51 GMT http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3035179815&category=3309&rd=1 Description: Valcom's Digital Feedback Eliminator is PA system that works through your company's telephone system. It records and saves the annoucement then rebroadcasts over a speaker system eliminating the need to move speakers or telephones for a quick, easy, cost-effective solution. Automatically Adjusts The Output Level To A Consistent Volume Even When The Recording Voices Vary From Low To High Stacks Messages - Records A Page While Playing A Recorded Page Eliminate Feedback To All Zones With Only One Unit High-Fidelity - Sounds Like A Natural Voice Not Like A Recording Solid State Design - No Moving Parts To Break LED Indicators For Play, Record, Busy, Power Dipswitch Programmable Features: - Pre-Announce Alert Tone - Priority Override (Real Time Or Delayed) - DTMF Message Cancel Real Time Background Music With Volume Control Two Audio Outputs: 8 or 600 ohms loop Screw Terminal Connections Access By Loop Start trunk Port, C.O. Port, This unit is currently priced new at $542.00. see: http://www.optiontelecom.com/Paging-Enhancements.htm ------------------------------ From: rovilio_rangas@yahoo.com (Rovilio Rangas) Subject: Re: Sprint Predicts End Of Universe! Date: 13 Jul 2003 20:34:54 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ I've tried making calls with both Packet8 and Vonage and think Packet8 is the better deal. If you enter 'STAR' as the coupon code when you sign up at www.packet8.net you will save $20 on signup. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #564 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jul 14 22:58:14 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6F2wE917026; Mon, 14 Jul 2003 22:58:14 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 22:58:14 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307150258.h6F2wE917026@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #565 TELECOM Digest Mon, 14 Jul 2003 22:58:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 565 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Overture Proves Search Skeptics Wrong (Monty Solomon) Yahoo to Buy Overture For $1.63 Billion (Monty Solomon) AOL and TiVo Unite on Remote Programming (Monty Solomon) AOL 9 to Include Web Log Tools (Monty Solomon) Finders, Keepers (Monty Solomon) New Kind of Snooping Arrives at the Office (Monty Solomon) Reselling High-Speed Internet (Monty Solomon) Led by Intel, True Believers in Wi-Fi Say It Will Endure (Monty Solomon) Re: Walk-By Hacking (Jay R. Ashworth) Re: McDonalds Lawsuit (temp7@thewolfden.org) Info on KSU Please (Robert R Kircher, Jr.) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Jay R. Ashworth) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 20:34:57 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Overture Proves Search Skeptics Wrong By Lisa M. Bowman Staff Writer, CNET News.com When Internet entrepreneur Bill Gross first launched paid search engine Overture Services in 1998, he was greeted with dozens of questions, most of them hinting at whether he had lost his mind. Why are you starting a search engine now? How are you going to blend paid search engine results with unpaid? And how are you going to make any money off of one- or two-cent clicks? "They were all very, very skeptical," Gross said of his detractors. "People definitely thought we were crazy." Five years later, Gross can point to Overture as a powerful rebuttal to critics of his Idealab incubator, which spawned such dot-com investment failures as eToys and cosmetics e-tailer Eve.com. On Monday, Yahoo bought Overture for $1.63 billion, in the biggest endorsement yet of the paid search model as not only a viable, but a desirable, method of spinning hits into cash on the Web. http://news.com.com/2100-1024-1025687.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:18:58 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Yahoo to Buy Overture For $1.63 Billion By Stefanie Olsen and Margaret Kane Staff Writer, CNET News.com Yahoo announced on Monday its plan to buy search company Overture Services in a $1.63 billion deal, bolstering its position against rivals Google and Microsoft in the booming market for Web search advertising. The deal calls for each share of Overture stock to be exchanged for $4.75 in cash and 0.6108 of a Yahoo share, which values each share of Overture at $24.63, roughly a 15 percent premium over Overture's Friday closing price. Yahoo said the deal will allow it to expand its pay-for-performance search business and to expand contextual advertising throughout its network. Overture specializes in selling advertising links that accompany search results on sites such as Yahoo and MSN. It's a market into which search rival Google has been making inroads. But Overture had been fighting back against Google, making acquisitions designed to help it offer a broader array of search services. Yahoo has also been getting more competitive about search, recently acquiring Inktomi, an algorithmic search company that competes more directly with Google. In a conference call Monday morning, Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Terry Semel said the combined companies represent the largest player in the Internet advertising sector and that the deal gives Yahoo a greater ability to market itself to small and medium-size advertisers. http://news.com.com/2100-1030-1025394.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:34:15 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: AOL and TiVo Unite on Remote Programming By Matt Hines Staff Writer, CNET News.com America Online and digital video recorder (DVR) maker TiVo detailed a new partnership under which TiVo users can program their machines remotely via AOL's online network. To take advantage of the offer, users must subscribe to both AOL and TiVo's existing online services. TiVo's DVR service enables consumers to pause live television shows and to program their recorders to store future shows. Consumer electronics companies such as Pioneer Electronics, Sony Electronics and Toshiba have licensing agreements with TiVo to use its service in their products. AOL is one of the original investors in TiVo. The partnership is an example of increased efforts by electronics manufacturers to build networking capabilities into new products. While TiVo originally marketed its flagship Series 2 recorder as the center of a home-entertainment network, the company is now treating the hardware as just one component of that network. Other consumer-oriented products, such as Sony's RoomLink device and Cisco's Linksys Wireless B media adapter, also offer consumers increased networking among home devices. AOL and TiVo will offer the remote capabilities free to AOL users who also subscribe to TiVo's basic programming service. Earlier this year, TiVo introduced a similar program that lets users schedule same-day recordings over the Web. That package, Home Media Option, is available for a one-time fee of $99. http://news.com.com/2100-1023-1025562.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:39:35 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: AOL 9 to Include Web Log Tools By Matthew Broersma Special to CNET News.com America Online will integrate Web log software into the next version of its service this summer, giving its 34 million subscribers a way into the increasingly popular medium. The online personal journals known as Web logs, or "blogs," have taken off in popularity over the past few months. AOL's software will take advantage of recent developments in the technology to allow people to "audioblog" over the telephone. Subscribers will also be able to update their blogs, which typically include references and links to other Web sites and blogs, via AOL Instant Messenger. The company is calling the tool "AOL Journals," because it said its users find the term "blog" confusing. It plans to introduce the tool as part of AOL 9, the next version of its Internet service, which will be available in preview form this summer. The tool will let users update their blog by phone, over an instant-messaging connection, or by the more familiar method of filling out a form on a Web page. http://news.com.com/2100-1032-1025573.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:55:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Finders, Keepers Lost love letters, photographs, and to-do lists become fascinating slices of life in the hands of Found magazine creator Davy Rothbart By Joan Anderman, Globe Staff, 7/14/2003 http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/195/living/Finders_keepers+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:57:44 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: New Kind of Snooping Arrives at the Office By MARCI ALBOHER NUSBAUM Corporate executives are becoming increasingly aggressive about spying on their employees, and with good reason: now, in addition to job shirkers and office-supply thieves, they have to worry about being held accountable for the misconduct of their subordinates. Even one offensive e-mail message circulated around the office by a single employee can pose a liability risk for a company. Not only that, but a wave of laws -- including the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the anticorruption and corporate-governance Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 -- have imposed new record-keeping and investigative burdens on companies. Not complying with some laws can result in the personal liability of officers and directors. As a result, employers have stepped up their surveillance of employees, often using stealth techniques to peer deep into their computer use. As of 2001, more than a third of all American workers with access to computers, or 14 million in all, were being monitored in one way or another, according to the Privacy Foundation, a Denver research group; with added pressure on executives to oversee their employees' electronic activities, experts predict that those numbers will grow. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/13/business/yourmoney/13EXLI.html [Lisa Minter note: To read NY Times articles without giving up your privacy, you may wish to use our group login name 'telecomdigest' and the group password 'telecomdigest'. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 22:00:56 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Reselling High-Speed Internet By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff, 7/14/2003 Millions of us buy Avon cosmetics or Tupperware bowls from our neighbors. Why not our Internet access? A company in Seattle thinks it has figured out a way to turn high-speed Internet users into digital entrepreneurs, while earning a pretty penny for itself. Most of the nation's 40 million broadband users have more bandwidth than they know what to do with. Consider the typical DSL connection -- 1.5 megabytes of download speed and 128 kilobits for uploading. Actually, this is still too slow for heavy multimedia uses like high-quality video. But for the e-mailing and Web surfing that consume most of our online hours, it's an embarrassment of riches. E-mail doesn't need much download speed, and even Web surfing isn't too bad on a slow connection. That's why a single broadband connection can easily serve a two- or three-computer household. That's fine with cable modem and DSL companies, which will happily sell you cheap routers that share a single broadband connection with multiple PCs or Macs. But then along came WiFi to complicate everything. The wireless networking technology lets you pull up to 54 million bits of data per second out of thin air. The cable and DSL providers don't mind if you get a wireless router and connect every computer in your house. But WiFi has a range of up to 300 feet. So the homes or apartments on either side of your own can share your broadband connection. And suddenly, the broadband company finds itself serving three households, while collecting a subscription fee from just one. http://www.boston.com:80/dailyglobe2/195/business/Reselling_high_speed_Internet+.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 22:08:24 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Led by Intel, True Believers in Wi-Fi Say It Will Endure By JOHN MARKOFF SUN VALLEY, Idaho, July 11 - Is the Wi-Fi boom about to bust? Even though that has lately become the fashionable view, the answer is probably no. Critics argue that there are too many competitors trying to deliver high-speed wireless connections to the Internet. Prices for most commercial Wi-Fi services are too high, they say, and free or subsidized operations abound, including those like the one McDonald's started rolling out last week at its fast food restaurants in San Francisco. [Page C7.] All this will make it practically impossible, the skeptics insist, for anyone to build a profitable business in Wi-Fi, a short-range wireless radio technology that frees personal computers from their physical tethers to the Internet. But a number of true believers in Wi-Fi were present at this mountain resort during an annual conference, organized by the investment banker Herbert Allen, that brings together technology, media and entertainment industry leaders. The Intel Corporation in particular is betting a lot of money on Wi-Fi. And that may be exactly what the new technology needs to succeed. Intel's two top executives, Craig R. Barrett and Andrew S. Grove, were here this year to preach the virtues of Wi-Fi, in the belief that it will be a powerfully disruptive force in the telecommunications industry. It has certainly been a disruptive force at Intel. The industry and analysts have focused their attention on the current frenzy to build wireless Internet locations, known as hot spots, at airports, coffeehouses and hotels. But Intel has a much bolder wireless plan: it wants to close the so-called last-mile gap between homes and the Internet backbone with cheap, super-fast connections so that businesses can deliver interactive entertainment and a host of other digital products and services right into America's living rooms and dens. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/14/technology/14WIFI.html [Lisa Minter note: To read NY Times articles in privacy, telecom users are invited to use our group login name 'telecomdigest' and our group password 'telecomdigest'. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Jay R. Ashworth Subject: Re: Walk-By Hacking Reply-To: jra@baylink.com Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:01:13 GMT Organization: RoadRunner - Central Florida Stanley settled back into the couch, and Monty Solomon said to him: > The software package running on Morse's hand-held is called Kismet, > from a Turkish-derived word meaning fate. The program uses the > wireless card like a police band scanner, noting each wireless network > that makes its presence known. "I could put it in my pocket and > record all the networks without anyone seeing," he says. The program > is available to security experts and would-be hackers for a perfectly > legal and free download. One of the few times I've regretted having a Palm. Does anyone know if there is any netstumbler-like software for the Xircom 802.11 adapter for the Palm? I haven't been able to find anything, and it makes a handy diagnostic tool ... Cheers, Jay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 16:51:35 CDT Subject: Re: McDonalds Lawsuit From: Reply-To: temp7@thewolfden.org Dana wrote regarding Re: McDonalds Lawsuit on Sun, 13 Jul 2003 12:19:01 -0800 > wrote: >> Surely you can you accept that its possible for coffee to be too hot? > Surely you can accept that people should be responsible for their > own well being. Only if the deck isn't stacked against the consumer from the start. Of course, this was partially the point of the lawsuit. At which point does common sense on the part of the consumer become overridden by a lack of common sense on the part of the producer. If I believed you that it's completely the responsibility of the consumer, I'd be checking my coffee for all sorts of unexpected "additives" with a chemical analysis kit. But consumers have a right to be sold what they bought, and coffee is sold to be drunk. >> What if it was served so hot that it gave you third degree burns on >> your lips when you tried to drink it > Everyone with common sense knows they have to let the coffee cool > off a little before they drink it. Ignoring the fact that I buy coffee to drink it and not to watch it cool on the floor of my car, your response is still nonsense because no matter how long you typically wait for it to cool, I can still make it hot enough to burn you when you finally do. (Besides, by your argument above, if it's hot enough to give 3rd degree burns, then I'm not even going to try moving it into the car, lest I spill. I'm going to let it sit in the drive-thru window for 5 minutes and make everyone else wait behind me till it cools.) ------------------------------ From: Robert R Kircher, Jr. Subject: Info on KSU Please Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 18:15:15 -0400 I was just given a Northwestern Bell Integra 412 KSU unit and asked if I could do anything with it. Apparently it was left behind by a tenant in one of our buildings and now has been give to me. I have know idea how old it is but it appears to be a 4 CO line 12 extension system. I can't find much on the web via google so I was wondering if someone here could point me in the right direction. TIA Rob ------------------------------ From: Jay R. Ashworth Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Reply-To: jra@baylink.com Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 20:57:45 GMT Organization: RoadRunner - Central Florida Stanley settled back into the couch, and Richard Johnson said to him: > The fact remains that AT&T's donotcall.gov site is poorly designed for > its stated purpose. It is not even close to secure enough to prevent > such likely attacks. An email address requirement does nothing to > enhance the security. The requirement is, in fact, perhaps worthy of > mention on . > This leads me, as a present paranoid security profesional who in the > past worked for a company in the privacy violation industry, to > suspect other reasons for the email address requirement. > The gathering of email addresses associated with phone numbers, from > those too naive to use throwaway email addresses (the majority of > users, still), will provide a data goldmine for epending and similar > nefarious marketer purposes. > Who controls the list? Follow the money. "do not call DOT GOV". An agency of the US Government *doesn't* have administrative control over the project? Excuse me, I have to go call Peter Jennings ... Cheers, Jay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2003 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #565 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Jul 16 00:50:52 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6G4oqS23077; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 00:50:52 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 00:50:52 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307160450.h6G4oqS23077@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #566 TELECOM Digest Wed, 16 Jul 2003 00:51:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 566 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Book Review: "Computer and Intrusion Forensics" George Mohay (Rob Slade) Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? (Walt Howard) Old Bell 4 Hole Phone Plugs (CMM) Wierd Nextel Question (Lincoln J. King-Cliby) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (AES) Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. (PMG) Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Reply Passed Back? (Linc Madison) Re: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? (Pete Romfh) I Enjoyed Visiting Your Web Site (Joe F. Drennan) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rob Slade Organization: Vancouver Institute for Research into User Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 07:59:12 -0800 Subject: Book Review: "Computer and Intrusion Forensics" George Mohay et al BKCMINFO.RVW 20030605 "Computer and Intrusion Forensics", George Mohay et al, 2003, 1-58053-369-8, U$79.00 %A George Mohay %A Alison Anderson %A Byron Collie %A Olivier de Vel %A Rodney McKemmish %C 685 Canton St., Norwood, MA 02062 %D 2003 %G 1-58053-369-8 %I Artech House/Horizon %O U$79.00 800-225-9977 fax: +1-617-769-6334 artech@artech-house.com %O http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580533698/robsladesinterne http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580533698/robsladesinte-21 %O http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580533698/robsladesin03-20 %P 395 p. %T "Computer and Intrusion Forensics" The traditional data recovery aspect of computer forensics has been covered by Kruse and Heiser in "Computer Forensics" (cf. BKCMPFRN.RVW), and by Caloyannides in "Computer Forensics and Privacy" (cf. BKCMFRPR.RVW) (and somewhat less ably by Casey [cf. BKCMCRIN.RVW], Kovavish and Boni [cf. BKHTCRIH.RVW], Icove, Seger, and VonStorch [cf. BKCMPCRM.RVW], Marcella and Greenfield [cf. BKCYBFOR.RVW], van Wyk and Forna [cf. BKINCRES.RVW], and Mandia and Procise [cf. BKINCDRS.RVW]). So far network forensics has only been specifically dealt with in the not-terribly-useful "Hacker's Challenge," by Schiffman (cf. BKHKRCHL.RVW). "Computer and Intrusion Forensics" is the first attempt to bring both topics into a single book. (It is intriguing to note that Eugene Spafford, who wrote the foreword, is a pioneer of the "third leg": software forensics, which the book does not cover.) Chapter one is an introduction to computer and network (intrusion) forensics, pointing out the ways that computers can be involved in the commission of crimes and the requirements for obtaining and preserving evidence in such cases. While the material provides a good foundation, the text is inflated in many places, and could benefit from stricter adherence to the topic and more focused writing. (One illustration shows a pattern of concentric rings indicating that the set of productive activities encompasses all legal endeavors which, in turn, encompasses all approved actions. I suspect that a great many legal and even approved activities are unproductive--while no doubt a number of illegal activities would be approved, at times.) "Current Practice," in chapter two, is a broad overview of the concerns, technologies, applications, procedures, and legislation bearing on digital evidence recovery from computers. In fact, this single chapter is the equivalent of, and sometimes superior to, a number of the computer forensics books mentioned above. However, the breadth of the discussion does come at the expense of depth. This content is quite suitable for the information security, or even legal, professional who needs to understand the field of computer forensics, but it does not have the detail that a practitioner may require. Although chapter three is supposed to deal with computer forensics in law enforcement (and there is a brief section on the rules of evidence), it is primarily a reiteration (and some expansion) of the procedures for data recovery and the software tools available for this task. Forensic accounting, and the algorithms that can be used to detect fraud, are outlined in chapter four, but very little is directly relevant to computer forensics as such. Case studies, demonstrating the techniques discussed earlier and some that are not, are described in chapter five. Intrusion forensics concentrates on intrusion detection systems (IDS), although it does not provide a very clear or complete explanation of the distinctions in data collection (host- or network-based) or analysis engines (rule, signature, anomaly, or statistical). Chapter seven finishes off the book with a list of computer forensic research which is being, or should be, undertaken. While the computer forensic content is sound, and it is heartening to see other fields being included, the very limited work on network forensics is disappointing. This text is a useful reference for those needing background material on forensic technologies, but breaks no new ground. copyright Robert M. Slade, 2003 BKCMINFO.RVW 20030605 ====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer) rslade@vcn.bc.ca slade@victoria.tc.ca rslade@sun.soci.niu.edu And the tubby beard went on. http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev or http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade ------------------------------ From: howard@rondo.ee.ualberta.ca (Walt Howard) Subject: Re: Are Waveguides Obsolete? Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 05:27:41 UTC Organization: A poorly-installed InterNetNews site In article , Jim Hopkins wrote: > [ Excellent article about RF waveguide from a Bell System publication > is snipped ] And the conclusion was that optic fiber could also provide great bandwidth and low loss at significantly lower cost. The irony of that is that optic fiber is also a waveguide, for shorter wavelengths. Much of the scientific and engineering effort that Bell Labs and others put into waveguides made of copper pipe has been a great help in explaining how optic fiber works and how to make practical use of it. There are certainly significant differences between RF waveguide and optic fiber, but there is more similarity than many folks might guess. So, in a sense, waveguide never became obsolete. It just changed materials to go to amazingly high frequencies. Walt Howard /"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign InterNet: whoward@ieee.org \ / No HTML or M$Word in mail or news! BellNet: +1 780 492 7262 X / \ ------------------------------ From: mihaiyx@yahoo.com (CMM) Subject: Old Bell 4 Hole Phone Plugs Date: 15 Jul 2003 13:33:50 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hi, I just moved into a house (probably about 50 years old) and I found out that the phone plugs are the old type (Bell, 4 hole / 4 wire plugs). Is there any way to switch to regular RJ11 phone jacks, can I use any type of converter, or if I could connect regular phone jacks directly to the wires that would be even better. Any ideas? Thanks. CMM [Lisa Minter note: At Radio Shack you can purchase as many of the modern RJ11 phone covers as needed. Remove the old cover plates and connect the new covers wire for wire (red to red, green to green, etc). Then when you plug in your newer style modular plug style phones, they should work just fine. If by chance you find that you cannot 'cut' dial tone with one or more of the phones, try swapping the red and green wires on the new face plates. The wires should match up with red/green for one pair and black/yellow for any second pair you may have. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: chsvideo@hotmail.com (Lincoln J. King-Cliby) Subject: Wierd Nextel Question Date: 14 Jul 2003 20:47:28 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Hello, I have a wierd question, but first background: My employer provides a Nextel phone (currently an i1000plus, soon to be an i90c because of other issues, but I digress). As far as I am aware (at least until tonight), we do not have any kind of text messaging enabled on the account to which my phone is assigned. Tonight I got a "Message Mail" notification [ I guess there is some kind of text functionality enabled, after all ] with the following text on the screen: 1)2129495E-030152223| (213)702-00xx|Please call Charles (213)702-00xx---0.94748690.2625618 8:17P 7/14 (I tried googling the phone number and came up with no results) I have no intention of calling "Charles" since I don't know anyone in the 213 NPA, let alone anyone who has my cell #, and I put enough minutes on my phone as it is, but I'm curious -- 1) Is this cellspam, some kind of scam, or what? 2) What do the block of numbers at the beginning and end of the message mean, and 3) how can people I want send messages to my phone like this? Thanks Lincoln ------------------------------ From: AES/newspost Subject: Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:35:22 -0700 > Stanley settled back into the couch, and Richard Johnson > said to him: >> The fact remains that AT&T's donotcall.gov site is poorly designed for >> its stated purpose. It is not even close to secure enough to prevent >> such likely attacks. An email address requirement does nothing to >> enhance the security. The requirement is, in fact, perhaps worthy of >> mention on . It's always seemed absolutely obvious to me that the whole idea of "do not call" lists is an especially dumb way of addressing the problem. If the basic legislative requirement were simply that telemarketing calls [1] had to be made using a Caller-ID number that appeared to come from some specific distinctive "area code" -- e.g., (333) xxx-xxxx [2,3] -- it would become trivial for anyone who wished to totally block all telemarketing to any of their phone numbers, at minimal cost [4] and with no need to ever update any "do not call" lists. The _only_ reason for not adopting this trivially simple scheme is that it would work [4]. -------- [1] There's of course a problem in defining just what is legally a "telemarketing call" -- but that's exactly the same problem for any anti-telemarketing legislation, using do not call lists or whatever. [2] There is nothing either illegal or impractical in doing this; it would be trivial to implement; and the cost to the telemarketer would be trivial -- certainly less than continually checking and updating do not call lists. [3] And note that there'd be no "free speech" problems involved. Telemarketers could freely call anyone they want -- they just wouldn't be able to get through to most people. [4] Radio Shack would sell "333-blockers" that you plug into your incoming residential line for, what?, maybe $10 apiece; cell phones would come with it built in. [5] Telemarketers would hate it, because it would work. Phone companies would hate it because they'd lose the telemarketing business. Telemarketing companies and phone companies have, of course, much more ability than ordinary consumers to bribe -- er, sorry, to "lobby" -- members of Congress and other politicians. ------------------------------ From: PMG Subject: Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 22:43:35 +1000 Organization: Ihug Limited Can anyone tell me when Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. lost it's separate identity (subsumed into US West, I beleive)? Any background on the company would also be appreciated - I haven't had much luck with Google. PMG. ------------------------------ From: Linc Madison Subject: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Reply Passed Back? Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 23:57:45 -0700 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises The boyfriend of a friend of mine was recently in an automobile accident. Most of his injuries were relatively minor (considering he was struck by a drunk driver at 80 mph), but his larynx ("voice box") was ruptured. He is currently unable to speak, and it is not yet clear to what extent the larynx will heal. As my friend and her boyfriend are currently on opposite coasts, they would very much like to be able to communicate by telephone. The TDD relay service would be an obvious piece in the puzzle, but I am wondering if the following setup is possible, both in the end-user TDD hardware and in the TDD relay service. Person A types on the TDD, with the relay operator reading the text aloud for Person B on the other end. Howver, Person B speaks directly to Person A without going through the relay operator. (Since Person A can still hear normally, there is no need to use the relay operator in the other direction.) The specifics of this accident aside, there are certainly other people who are speech-impaired but not hearing-impaired. Any pointers as to what TDD units support this scheme, or whether such an arrangement is likely to be familiar/routine for the relay operator, are appreciated. Please use the e-mail address below, or reply to the Digest. Linc Madison * North American Area Codes & Splits * San Francisco, CA E-mail replies to: (rhymes with) Telecom bat LincMad bot Com [Lisa Minter note: First, let me say I am really sick at heart to hear about this incident involving your friend. Please pass along my condolences. There really should be a special place in Hell for drunken drivers. Has the drunk even yet gotten sober enough to understand what a serious thing he did? If he does know, does he have any remorse at all? I hope he will be severely punished by the court for what he did. Second, the various instant messenger things have largely replaced the older style TTY machines. Yahoo, for example, especially because it is free has a large number of hearing/speech impaired users in one of its groups communicating by instant messenger and the group chat things, with cams, etc. Third, what you ask for is possible. Either party can initiate the call, but the person *using the TTY machine* should be the one to communicate *using the machine* to the TTY operator that he is capable of hearing. If the TTY operator is tipped off on that early on in the conversation it not only saves time for the operator but makes the call easier to handle as well. Expect at the start of the call that a few seconds or a minute will be wasted while the operator acclimates him/herself since it is not the usual proceedure. Patrick just made a helpful suggestion also: If both parties have computers and Yahoo Instant Messenger, then let your newly handicapped friend also get some inexpensive phone service (such as Vonage), then he calls her (they can talk a *long* time for very little money) and while he types on the screen, she can talk voice back to him. If they have cams attached, so much the better, and more private. Despite the rather rigid rules of all TTY systems regards privacy in communications, it still is awkward and inconsiderate of the sensibilities of the TTY operator to conduct certain kinds of conversations using a middle person in the conversation. The instant messengers, cameras and a Vonage or other *cheap* phone service would be a better alternative. Either way, Linc, pass along my condolences and I hope the guy recovers the use of his voice sometime soon! Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Pete Romfh Subject: Re: Voice Mail System For 4-Line Phone? Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 06:59:27 -0500 Organization: Not Organized Sep wrote: > I have a small business with 10 4-line phones that support up to 12 > or so extensions. So I have what I need to answer multiple lines, > transfer calls, etc. What I'm missing is to be able to have voice > mailboxes for a few individuals, so when someone calls and asks to > be transferred to someone's voicemail, I could do that. Is this > possible? Right now all I can do is write down a message on a > stickynote :( > Your advice is much appreciated. > -Sep Take a look at some of the DataLabs products. They might fit your needs and are nominally priced. Info at: http://www.datalabs.net/products.htm Pete Romfh, Telecom Geek & Amateur Gourmet. promfh at Texas dot net ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 16:12:43 EDT From: Joe F. Drennan Subject: I Enjoyed Visiting Your Web Site Hello, I visited your massis.lcs.mit.edu web site and I would like to trade reciprocal links with you. This should make both of our web sites more valuable to our visitors. You have so much in depth information! I've already added your web site's listing to my link directory. The listing is in the Discount Long Distance theme at this page: http://www.higher-ideals.com/links/discountlongdistance.html. My web site is: http://www.higher-ideals.com/. If you are interested in swapping links the url for information to add my link to your website is: http://www.higher-ideals.com/links/link-info.html Regards, Joe F. Drennan jdrennan@higher-ideals.com http://www.higher-ideals.com/ [Lisa Minter note: Thank you for your kind words, Joe. Although TELECOM Digest is not a discount long distance service, nor do we (as far as I know) promote any one long distance service over another, your placement of a link here is appreciated. With your message appearing in the Digest tonight, perhaps readers will visit and become aquainted with your higher ideals website as well. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-330-6774 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 775-306-8390 Fax 3: 775-642-0603 Fax 4: 530-309-7234 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the second oldest e-zine/ mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. 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His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V22 #566 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Jul 16 18:03:04 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6GM33T27577; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 18:03:04 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 18:03:04 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307162203.h6GM33T27577@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #567 TELECOM Digest Wed, 16 Jul 2003 18:03:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 567 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Man Charged in E-mail Stalking of Anchor (Monty Solomon) Motorola Reports Second-Quarter 2003 Financial Results (Monty Solomon) Intel Second-Quarter Revenue $6.8 Billion, Earnings Per Share (Solomon) Deconstructing the Defacer Challenge Hoax/FUD (Monty Solomon) New Motorola Chip Delivers Stereo Sound to TVs (Monty Solomon) Agere Systems Sceptre HP GPRS Chip Set and Software (Monty Solomon) Charter to Roll Out Souped Up Cable Box (Monty Solomon) Re: Old Bell 4 Hole Phone Plugs (Joseph) Re: Old Bell 4 Hole Phone Plugs (Herb Stein) Re: Old Bell 4 Hole Phone Plugs (Pete Romfh) Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Passed Back? (Jay R. Ashworth) Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Passed Back? (John Bartley) Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Passed Back? (Hank Karl) Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Passed Back? (Pete Romfh) Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Passed Back? (Ben Schilling) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 02:39:05 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Man Charged in E-Mail Stalking of Anchor By Rick Jervis Tribune staff reporter An Indiana man who thought a Chicago news anchor was talking to him through his television set and showered her with affectionate and obscene e-mails for two years will be among the first people charged under Illinois' cyberstalking law, officials said Saturday. A grand jury indicted Tonny Horne of South Bend last week on charges of cyberstalking and criminal trespassing. Horne, 32, had been sending e-mails to and leaving phone messages for Tamron Hall, a news anchor at WFLD-Ch. 32, the local Fox affiliate, said Chicago police spokesman Thomas Donegan. He was arrested June 16 outside the Fox studios at 205 N. Michigan Ave. after security personnel spotted him, Donegan said. Hall did not return phone calls requesting comment Saturday. Debra Juarez, Hall's news director, also declined to comment, citing company policy prohibiting her from talking about personnel issues. Officials said Horne will be one of the first suspects tried in Cook County under Illinois' cyberstalking law, enacted in 2001. The law makes it a felony to threaten another person via the Internet. If convicted, Horne could face 2 to 5 years in prison. http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0307130506jul13,1,2009477.story ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 03:15:17 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Motorola Reports Second-Quarter 2003 Financial Results - Second-quarter sales of $6.2 billion, down 10 percent vs. the prior- year quarter - Second-quarter GAAP earnings of $.05 per share vs. a loss per share of ($1.02) in the prior-year quarter - Second-quarter earnings, excluding special items, of $.01 per share vs. earnings of $.02 per share in the prior-year quarter - Second-quarter positive operating cash flow of approximately $300 million - Ratio of net debt to net debt plus equity improved to 12.4 percent from 18.2 percent in the prior-year quarter - Third-quarter 2003 guidance: - Sales: $6.3 to $6.5 billion, flat to down 4 percent vs. the prior- year quarter - GAAP earnings per share: break-even to $.02 per share vs. $.05 per share in the prior-year quarter - Earnings per share, excluding special items: $.02 to $.04 per share vs. $.06 per share in the prior-year quarter - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34855817 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 03:15:43 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Intel Second-Quarter Revenue $6.8 Billion, Earnings Per Share Intel Second-Quarter Revenue $6.8 Billion, Earnings Per Share $0.14 SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 15, 2003--Intel Corporation today announced second-quarter revenue of $6.8 billion, up 1 percent sequentially and up 8 percent year-over-year. Second-quarter net income was $896 million, down 2 percent sequentially and up 101 percent year-over-year. Earnings per share were $0.14, flat sequentially and up 100 percent from $0.07 in the second quarter of 2002. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34856779 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 08:51:43 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Deconstructing the Defacer Challenge Hoax/FUD Richard Forno, Brian Martin On June 21, 2003, a small web site was created to harnass the competitive nature of the defacing community by holding a contest of computer vandalism. Several computer security companies took this event as an opportunity to whore themselves out to any media outlet that might listen; once again blowing an event of questionable origins and dubious consequences way out of proportion. Their claims ranged from the event being capable of disrupting internet traffic to it causing tens of thousands of defacements and posing a serious threat to internet security. Yet, rather than teach the public, industry, and policymakers anything about security, it taught us another lesson in the power of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) and the scare tactics that security companies will use to make a quick buck. Again. These folks have no clue about security. Or shame. Or both. http://www.infowarrior.org/articles/2003-03.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 08:55:48 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: New Motorola Chip Delivers Stereo Sound to TVs First Single-Chip TV Stereo Encoder Solves Entertainment Industry Problem CHANDLER, Ariz., July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc.'s (NYSE:MOT) Semiconductor Products Sector has launched the industry's first single-chip, Multi-Channel Television Sound (MTS) stereo audio encoder designed to allow consumers to enjoy high-fidelity stereo and surround sound more easily on their televisions. The MC44C401 is a CMOS implementation of an advanced Broadcast Television Systems Committee (BTSC) compatible stereo encoder for manufacturers of set top boxes, VCRs, DVD players/recorders and other consumer electronics. This product solves an existing problem for entertainment providers, equipment manufacturers, and ultimately consumers. Until today, delivering high-fidelity stereo sound over a simple RF coaxial cable was too expensive. Since the majority of consumers rely on this method of interconnect, they had to settle for "mono" quality sound. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34864093 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 08:57:13 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Agere Systems Sceptre HP GPRS Chip Set and Software Agere Systems Announces GPRS Chip Set and Software That Significantly Improve Processing Power for Advanced Multimedia Mobile Phones ALLENTOWN, Pa., July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Agere Systems (NYSE:AGR.A, AGR.B) today announced a new high-performance General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) hardware and software solution that delivers up to 10 times the processing power of previous Agere mobile terminal solutions. Using a new microprocessor core, this integrated chip set and software platform enables such advanced, high-speed multimedia and entertainment applications for GSM-based mobile phones as real-time audio and video streaming, digital photo imaging, MP3 music capabilities, MPEG4 video playback and interactive games. Agere's Sceptre(R) HP chip set provides a two-chip solution -- for integrating digital baseband, power management and mixed signal functions -- coupled with an ARM(R)946E-S embedded core, flexible cached memory system and DSP instruction set extensions running at 90 megahertz. This high-performance solution provides all of the power needed to handle wireless communications and applications processing without the need for a separate applications processor. Agere's chipset and software also offer advanced connectivity options for new mobile phone designs, including an on-chip USB controller, infrared (IrDA) capability, removable secure digital (SD) and multimedia memory cards (MMC), and Bluetooth(R) support. This flexibility allows users to easily exchange digital pictures, audio and other files between a mobile phone and such devices as PCs and PDAs. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34864095 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 09:03:02 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Charter to Roll Out Souped Up Cable Box By MAY WONG AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- In the cable industry's latest move to combat competition from satellite TV, Charter Communications Inc. will soon introduce its most feature-packed cable set-top box yet. The box, to be released in the fall, records programming onto a hard drive, has a built-in DVD player and can serve as a media center for digital photos and music. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=34862848 ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: Old Bell 4 Hole Phone Plugs Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 06:57:44 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: joeofseattle@yahoo.com On 15 Jul 2003 13:33:50 -0700, mihaiyx@yahoo.com (CMM) wrote: > I just moved into a house (probably about 50 years old) and I found > out that the phone plugs are the old type (Bell, 4 hole / 4 wire > plugs). Is there any way to switch to regular RJ11 phone jacks, can I > use any type of converter, or if I could connect regular phone jacks > directly to the wires that would be even better. Beside the suggestion that you change out the present four pin jacks with modern jacks you can also get four pin to modular adapters. Very often these can be obtained from Radio Shack as well. Replies are seldom read. Please reply in the group ------------------------------ From: Herb Stein Subject: Re: Old Bell 4 Hole Phone Plugs Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 10:04:14 -0500 CMM wrote in message news:telecom22.566.3@telecom-digest.org: > Hi, > I just moved into a house (probably about 50 years old) and I found > out that the phone plugs are the old type (Bell, 4 hole / 4 wire > plugs). Is there any way to switch to regular RJ11 phone jacks, can I > use any type of converter, or if I could connect regular phone jacks > directly to the wires that would be even better. > Any ideas? > CMM > [Lisa Minter note: At Radio Shack you can purchase as many of the > modern RJ11 phone covers as needed. Remove the old cover plates > and connect the new covers wire for wire (red to red, green to green, > etc). Then when you plug in your newer style modular plug style > phones, they should work just fine. If by chance you find that you > cannot 'cut' dial tone with one or more of the phones, try swapping > the red and green wires on the new face plates. The wires should > match up with red/green for one pair and black/yellow for any second > pair you may have. Lisa M.] I would add that if you can, find a source of the jacks that the phone company uses. The RS versions to be of rather poor quality. You don't want problems down the road caused be whacking them with a vacuum cleaner, yanking on the cord, etc. For a quick and dirty fix, there are adapters available, possibly even at Radio Shack. Herb Stein The Herb Stein Group www.herbstein.com herb@herbstein.com 314 952-4601 ------------------------------ From: Pete Romfh Subject: Re: Old Bell 4 Hole Phone Plugs Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 05:42:01 -0500 Organization: Not Organized CMM wrote: > I just moved into a house (probably about 50 years old) and I found > out that the phone plugs are the old type (Bell, 4 hole / 4 wire > plugs). Is there any way to switch to regular RJ11 phone jacks, can > I use any type of converter, or if I could connect regular phone > jacks directly to the wires that would be even better. > [Lisa Minter note: At Radio Shack you can purchase as many of the > modern RJ11 phone covers as needed. Remove the old cover plates and > connect the new covers wire for wire (red to red, green to green, > etc). Then when you plug in your newer style modular plug style > phones, they should work just fine. If by chance you find that you > cannot 'cut' dial tone with one or more of the phones, try swapping > the red and green wires on the new face plates. The wires should > match up with red/green for one pair and black/yellow for any second > pair you may have. Lisa M.] There were adapters made that converted from 4-pin to modular (RJ-11/12). You would probably find them at RadioShack or a phone supply shop. Or you could change them out as Lisa has suggested. Most likely 4-pins from that era use round mounts rather than single gang wall boxes so the face plates may be problematic. Pete Romfh, Telecom Geek & Amateur Gourmet. promfh at Texas dot net ------------------------------ From: Jay R. Ashworth Subject: Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Reply Passed Back? Reply-To: jra@baylink.com Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 16:25:34 GMT Organization: RoadRunner - Central Florida Stanley settled back into the couch, and Linc Madison said to him: > As my friend and her boyfriend are currently on opposite coasts, they > would very much like to be able to communicate by telephone. The TDD > relay service would be an obvious piece in the puzzle, but I am > wondering if the following setup is possible, both in the end-user TDD > hardware and in the TDD relay service. > Person A types on the TDD, with the relay operator reading the text > aloud for Person B on the other end. Howver, Person B speaks directly > to Person A without going through the relay operator. (Since Person A > can still hear normally, there is no need to use the relay operator in > the other direction.) [ Lisa: ] > Second, the various instant messenger things have largely replaced > the older style TTY machines. Yahoo, for example, especially because > it is free has a large number of hearing/speech impaired users in one > of its groups communicating by instant messenger and the group > chat things, with cams, etc. This was going to be my suggestion as well: AIM combined with NetMeeting (or perhaps NM can do both sides by itself). It's likely to be much more convenient than relay service, and quite a bit more private -- relay privacy policies are great, but you don't want to do phone sex through them. ;-) Cheers, Jay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet The Things I Think Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 God, unlike Anya, is fond of bunnies. -- Chelsea Christenson [Lisa Minter note: Phone sex is indeed a problem for the relay services. I asked at one of the non-profit (state operated) relay services here in this area and was told the translators are free to help however they want in conveying messages 'of that sort' but the official rule is the translator is *not* required to either type 'certain words' or verbalize them in return. Now Linc never said the parties intended to have phone sex so I cannot claim that to be the case; but overall, privacy and discretion would say to use something like Yahoo, AOL, or MSN messenger services with cameras, with one of the suggested phone backups as needed also. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: 6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) Subject: Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Reply Passed Back? Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 18:27:25 GMT TDD is such an ancient protocol (Baudot at 45.5 baud, IIRC) that I hesitate at recommending it. If they are both at home, and are Windows users, well, there's NetMeeting which permits typed conversation as well as video, and voice for her to speak with him. INcluded free with Windows 98 & up. Lisa's suggestion of an IM client is good ... but, perhaps a universal IM client which works with any system would be better than a proprietary IM client which only works on Yahoo! Trillian is one such system http://www.trillian.cc/trillian/index.html as is GAIM http://gaim.sourceforge.net/about.php For when they are out and about, there are even IM clients for PalmPhones, much more personable than using SMS back-and-forth. http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=4784 This works a lot better for GPRS and CDMA2000/1xRTT phones because they are 'always on' for data. Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT. ------------------------------ From: Hank Karl Subject: Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Reply Passed Back? Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 14:48:11 -0400 Organization: NETPLEX Internet Services - http://www.ntplx.net/ > [Lisa Minter note: ... > Patrick just made a helpful suggestion also: If both parties have > computers and Yahoo Instant Messenger, then let your newly handicapped > friend also get some inexpensive phone service (such as Vonage), then > he calls her (they can talk a *long* time for very little money) and > while he types on the screen, she can talk voice back to him. If they > have cams attached, so much the better, and more private. Despite the > rather rigid rules of all TTY systems regards privacy in communications, > it still is awkward and inconsiderate of the sensibilities of the TTY > operator to conduct certain kinds of conversations using a middle > person in the conversation. The instant messengers, cameras and a > Vonage or other *cheap* phone service would be a better alternative. Assuming both parties have computers, you may be able to make voice calls from an instant messenger client if you have a microphone and speakers (or a headset) on your computer. You may not even need to use a service like http://www.freeworldialup.com/ (which is free) to do this. [Lisa Minter note: If you attempt to make a voice call using Yahoo Messenger you are connected with that penny-per-minute long distance service using your computer microphone and headset, and you have to have an account with that long distance service to pay for it. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Pete Romfh Subject: Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Reply Passed Back? Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 06:10:52 -0500 Organization: Not Organized Linc Madison wrote: > The boyfriend of a friend of mine was recently in an automobile > accident. Most of his injuries were relatively minor (considering he > was struck by a drunk driver at 80 mph), but his larynx ("voice > box") was ruptured. He is currently unable to speak, and it is not > yet clear to what extent the larynx will heal. > As my friend and her boyfriend are currently on opposite coasts, > they would very much like to be able to communicate by > telephone. The TDD relay service would be an obvious piece in the > puzzle, but I am wondering if the following setup is possible, both > in the end-user TDD hardware and in the TDD relay service. > Person A types on the TDD, with the relay operator reading the text > aloud for Person B on the other end. Howver, Person B speaks > directly to Person A without going through the relay > operator. (Since Person A can still hear normally, there is no need > to use the relay operator in the other direction.) > The specifics of this accident aside, there are certainly other > people who are speech-impaired but not hearing- impaired. Any > pointers as to what TDD units support this scheme, or whether such > an arrangement is likely to be familiar/routine for the relay > operator, are appreciated. Please use the e-mail address below, or > reply to the Digest. > Linc Madison * North American Area Codes & Splits * San > Francisco, CA E-mail replies to: (rhymes with) Telecom > bat LincMad bot Com > [Lisa Minter note: First, let me say I am really sick at heart to > hear about this incident involving your friend. Please pass along > my condolences. There really should be a special place in Hell for > drunken drivers. Has the drunk even yet gotten sober enough to > understand what a serious thing he did? If he does know, does he > have any remorse at all? I hope he will be severely punished by the > court for what he did. > Second, the various instant messenger things have largely replaced > the older style TTY machines. Yahoo, for example, especially because > it is free has a large number of hearing/speech impaired users in > one of its groups communicating by instant messenger and the group > chat things, with cams, etc. > Third, what you ask for is possible. Either party can initiate the > call, but the person *using the TTY machine* should be the one to > communicate *using the machine* to the TTY operator that he is > capable of hearing. If the TTY operator is tipped off on that early > on in the conversation it not only saves time for the operator but > makes the call easier to handle as well. Expect at the start of the > call that a few seconds or a minute will be wasted while the > operator acclimates him/herself since it is not the usual > proceedure. > Patrick just made a helpful suggestion also: If both parties have > computers and Yahoo Instant Messenger, then let your newly > handicapped friend also get some inexpensive phone service (such as > Vonage), then he calls her (they can talk a *long* time for very > little money) and while he types on the screen, she can talk voice > back to him. If they have cams attached, so much the better, and > more private. Despite the rather rigid rules of all TTY systems > regards privacy in communications, it still is awkward and > inconsiderate of the sensibilities of the TTY operator to conduct > certain kinds of conversations using a middle person in the > conversation. The instant messengers, cameras and a Vonage or other > *cheap* phone service would be a better alternative. > Either way, Linc, pass along my condolences and I hope the guy > recovers the use of his voice sometime soon! Lisa M.] Another alternative is a Text-to-voice device. One of my inlaws lost her ability to speak due to a neurologic disease 25 years ago. She had a laptop sized device (probably smaller now) that she would type words into (or touch keys for phrases) and the words would come out of a speaker. I helped interface it to her phone and added a speakerphone. She could call almost anyone and communicate with them easily. A few of the folks she called reacted badly to the "Robotic" voice but they were probably "buttheads in a present life". We also used email and TDD-relay to communciate with Nan until a few years ago when the disease also claimed the control of her hands. Then is was calls from her care-taker until her death early this year. Take a look at: http://www.hoise.com/vmw/02/articles/vmw/LV-VM-09-02-7.html http://www.kmdev.com/english/pages/english/products/myvoiceportable/myvoiceportable.htm There's also software that uses the sound card of a PC that reads what's typed. That could be linked to the phone and push the voice down the line. That can eliminate the relay as well. Technology can supplement varied abilities. It can't, however, provide the attitude and will to overcome problems. The person has to do that themselves. Often with the help of a few friends and the occasional geek. Pete Romfh, Telecom Geek & Amateur Gourmet. promfh at Texas dot net [Lisa Minter note: I wonder if Linc has suggested to his friends that they experiment with an artifial larnyx device? You are correct it does turn a lot like a robot but it is one way to use the telephone 'normally'. Lisa M.] ------------------------------ From: Ben Schilling Subject: Re: Is This Possible: TDD to Relay, Voice Reply Passed Back? Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 10:20:49 -0500 Linc Madison wrote: -- snip -- > As my friend and her boyfriend are currently on opposite coasts, they > would very much like to be able to communicate by telephone. The TDD > relay service would be an obvious piece in the puzzle, but I am > wondering if the following setup is possible, both in the end-user TDD > hardware and in the TDD relay service. > Person A types on the TDD, with the relay operator reading the text > aloud for Person B on the other end. Howver, Person B speaks directly > to Person A without going through the relay operator. (Since Person A > can still hear normally, there is no need to use the relay operator in > the other direction.) -- snip -- The Wisconsin version of the relay system offers a Voice Carry Over call for just this sort of problem. Ben Schilling Telecomm Manager, Wis Insurance Comm 608-266-1615 ben.schilling@oci.state.wi.us ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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End of TELECOM Digest V22 #567 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Jul 16 22:23:32 2003 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id h6H2NWh28765; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 22:23:32 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 22:23:32 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200307170223.h6H2NWh28765@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson cc: johnl@iecc.com Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V22 #568 TELECOM Digest Wed, 16 Jul 2003 22:23:00 EDT Volume 22 : Issue 568 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson and: Lisa Minter Re: Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. (Marcus Jervis) Re: Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. (Justin Time) Re: Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. (Joseph) Re: Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. (Robert Bonomi) Re: Wierd Nextel Question (Joseph) Re: Wierd Nextel Question (Justin Time) Re: Wierd Nextel Question (Joey Lindstrom) Re: Wierd Nextel Question (Ken Wheatley) Re: Wierd Nextel Question (Pete Romfh) Re: Wierd Nextel Question (Jay R. Ashworth) ATP First To Market With 512 MB MultiMediaCard (Eworldwire) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Ed Gibbs) MS03-026 Buffer Overrun In RPC Interface; Allows Code Execution (Monty) Peter T. Kirstein Recognized With Postel Award (Internet Society) Re: Glitches Hit FTC 'Do-not-Call' List (Ed Ellers) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. WE DO NOT PERMIT NAME/EMAIL ADDRESS HARVESTING FROM THIS JOURNAL. 'SALTED' EMAIL ADDRESSES APPEAR HEREIN TO VERIFY THIS. YOU GET SUED IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF YOU GET CAUGHT SPAMMING OR SENDING VIRUSES. DON'T DO IT. See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Marcus Jervis Subject: Re: Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 06:21:08 +0000 PMG wrote: > Can anyone tell me when Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. lost it's > separate identity (subsumed into US West, I beleive)? Any background > on the company would also be appreciated -- I haven't had much luck > with Google. Actually it became a separate identity. It lost it's Ma Bell identity. This was the same time (divestiture) when Bell was broken up into seven regional telcos. I believe it became a Baby Bell (US West) in January, 1984. Qwest, an upstart long distance carrier, bought US West using its inflated stock in July, 1999. I guess that is when US West was no longer a separate entity. ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. Date: 16 Jul 2003 06:53:46 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ PMG wrote in message news:: > Can anyone tell me when Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. lost it's > separate identity (subsumed into US West, I beleive)? Any background > on the company would also be appreciated - I haven't had much luck > with Google. > PMG. If I remember correctly they became part of Pacific Telesis which went through a couple of morphings before becoming part of either SBC, US West, Quest or Verizon. Rodgers Platt ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 06:54:19 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: joeofseattle@yahoo.com On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 22:43:35 +1000, PMG wrote: > Can anyone tell me when Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. lost it's > separate identity (subsumed into US West, I beleive)? Any background > on the company would also be appreciated - I haven't had much luck > with Google. Pacific Northwest Bell was originally part of Pacific Telephone. Pacific Northwest Bell became