TELECOM Digest     Sat, 17 Mar 2007 23:29:00 EDT    Volume 26 : Issue 76

Inside This Issue:                            Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Ayn Rand and John Galt: 50 Years Ago This Month (Mark Skousen, CS Monitor)
    Integrated Broadcast/CATV Tuners (Neal McLain)
    Re: Troubles With Computers' Daylight Shift (Steven J. Sobol)
    Re: Troubles With Computers' Daylight Shift (T)
    Re: EAS (was Reverse 911) (Rick Merrill)

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Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 20:05:14 -0500
From: Mark Skousen, Christian Science Monitor <csm@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Ayn Rand and John Galt: 50 Years Ago This Month


'Atlas Shrugged' 50 years later 
By Mark Skousen, Christian Science Monitor

When Ayn Rand finished writing "Atlas Shrugged" 50 years ago this
month, she set off an intellectual shock wave that is still felt
today. It's credited for helping to halt the communist tide and
ushering in the currents of capitalism. Many readers say it
transformed their lives. A 1991 poll rated it the second-most
influential book (after the Bible) for Americans.

At one level, "Atlas Shrugged" is a steamy soap opera fused into a
page-turning political thriller. At nearly 1,200 pages, it has to
be. But the epic account of capitalist heroes versus collectivist
villains is merely the vehicle for Ms. Rand's philosophical ideal:
"man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of
his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and
reason as his only absolute."

In addition to founding her own philosophical system, objectivism,
Rand is honored as the modern fountainhead of laissez-faire
capitalism, and as an impassioned, uncompromising, and unapologetic
proponent of reason, liberty, individualism, and rational
self-interest.

There is much to commend, and much to condemn, in "Atlas Shrugged." Its 
object -- to restore man to his rightful place in a free society -- is 
wholesome. But its ethical basis -- an inversion of the Christian values 
that predicate authentic capitalism -- poisons its teachings.

Mixed lessons from Rand's heroes: Rand articulates like no other
writer the evils of totalitarianism, interventionism, corporate
welfarism, and the socialist mindset. "Atlas Shrugged" describes in
wretched detail how collective "we" thinking and middle-of-the-road
interventionism leads a nation down a road to serfdom. No one has
written more persuasively about property rights, honest money (a
gold-backed dollar), and the right of an individual to safeguard his
wealth and property from the agents of coercion ("taxation is
theft"). And long before Gordon Gekko, icon of the movie "Wall
Street," she made greed seem good.

I applaud her effort to counter the negative image of big business as
robber barons. Her entrepreneurs are high-minded, principled achievers
who relish the competitive edge and have the creative genius to invent
exciting new products, manage businesses efficiently, and produce
great symphonies without cutting corners. Such actions are often
highly risky and financially dangerous and are often met with derision
at first. Rand rightly points out that these enterprising leaders are
a major cause of economic progress. History is full of examples of
"men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their
own vision." In the novel, protagonist Hank Reardon defends his
philosophy before a court: "I refuse to apologize for my ability;
I refuse to apologize for my success;  I refuse to apologize for my
money."

But there's a dark side to Rand's teachings. Her defense of greed and
selfishness, her diatribes against religion and charitable sacrificing
for others who are less fortunate, and her criticism of the Judeo-
Christian virtues under the guise of rational Objectivism have
tarnished her advocacy of unfettered capitalism. Still, Rand's extreme
canard is a brilliant invention that serves as an essential
counterpoint in the battle of ideas.

The Atlas characters are exceptionally memorable. They are the
unabashed "immovable movers" of the world who think of nothing but
their own business and making money. "... I want to be prepared to
claim the greatest virtue of them all; that I was a man who made
money," says copper titan Francisco d'Anconia. But these men are
regarded as ruthless, greedy, single-minded individualists. They are
men (except for Dagny Taggart, who could be confused for a man) who
always talk shop and give scant attention to their family. In fact, no
children appear in Rand's magnum opus.

Her chief protagonist, John Galt, is an uncompromising superman. He is
the proverbial Atlas who holds the world on his shoulders. He has
invented a fantastic motor, yet is so frustrated with state authority
that he withdraws his talents -- hence the title, "Atlas Shrugged"
 -- and spends the next dozen years working as a manual laborer for
Taggart International.

Mr. Galt somehow succeeds in getting the world's top capitalists to go
on strike and, in many cases, strike back at an increasingly
oppressive collectivist government. Rand's plot violates a key tenet
of business existence, which is to constantly work within the system
to find ways to make money. Real-world entrepreneurs are compromisers
and dealmakers, not true believers. They wouldn't give a hoot for
Galt.

Rand, of course, knows this. And that's OK, because "Atlas Shrugged"
is about philosophy, not business. In her world, there are two kinds
of people: those who serve and satisfy themselves only and those who
believe that they should strive to serve and satisfy others. She calls
the latter "altruists."

Rand is truly revolutionary because she makes the first serious
attempt to protest against altruism. She rejects the heart over the
mind and faith beyond reason. Indeed, she denies the existence of any
god or higher being, or any other authority over one's own mind. For
her, the highest form of happiness is fulfilling one's own dreams, not
someone else's -- or the public's.

Galt crystallizes the Randian motto: "I swear by my life and my love
of it that I will never live for the sake of another man nor ask
another man to live for mine." No sacrifice, no altruism, no feelings,
just pure egotistical selfishness, which Rand declares to be supreme
logic and reason.

This philosophy transcends politics and economics into romance. The
novel's sex scenes are narcissistic, mechanical, and violent. Are the
lessons of her book any way to run a marriage, a family, a business, a
charity, or a community?

To be sure, Rand makes a key point about altruism. A philosophy of
sacrificing for others can lead to a political system that mandates
sacrificing for others. That, Rand shows with frightening clarity,
leads to a dysfunctional society of deadbeats and bleeding-heart
do-gooders (Rand calls them "looters") who are corrupted by benefits
and unearned income, and constantly tax the productive citizens to pay
for their pet philanthropic missions. According to Rand, they are
"anti-life."

But is the only alternative to embrace the opposite, Rand's philosophy
of extreme self-centeredness? Must we accept her materialist
metaphysics in which, as Whittaker Chambers wrote in 1957, "Randian
Man, like Marxian Man, is made the center of a godless world"?

No, there is another choice. If society is to survive and prosper,
citizens must find a balance between the two extremes of self-interest
and public interest.

Adam Smith, the founder of modern economics, may have found that
Aristotelian mean in his "system of natural liberty." Mr. Smith and
Rand agree on the universal benefits of a free, capitalistic
society. But Smith rejects Rand's vision of selfish independence. He
asserts two driving forces behind man's actions.

In "The Theory of Moral Sentiments," he identifies the first as
"sympathy" or "benevolence" toward others in society. In his later
work, "The Wealth of Nations," he focuses on the second --
self-interest -- which he defines as the right to pursue one's own
business. Both, he argues, are essential to achieve "universal
opulence."

Smith's self-interest never reaches the Randian selfishness that ignores 
the interest of others. In Smith's mind, an individual's goals cannot be 
fully achieved in business unless he appeals to the needs of others. 
This insight was beautifully stated two centuries later by free-market 
champion Ludwig von Mises. In his book, "The Anti-Capitalist Mentality," 
he writes: "Wealth can be acquired only by serving the consumers."

Golden rule anchors true capitalismSmith's theme echoes his Christian
heritage, particularly the Golden rule, "Therefore all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them"
(Matt. 7:12).  Perhaps a true capitalist spirit can best be summed up
in the commandment, "Love thy neighbour as thyself" (Lev. 19:18;
Matt. 22:39).  Smith and Mr. von Mises would undoubtedly agree with
this creed, but the heroes of "Atlas Shrugged" -- and their creator
 --  would agree with only half.

Today's most successful libertarian CEOs, such as John Mackey of Whole 
Foods Markets and Charles Koch of Koch Industries, have adopted the 
authentic spirit of capitalism that is more in keeping with Smith than 
Rand.

Theirs is a "stakeholder" philosophy that works within the system to
fulfill the needs of customers, employees, shareholders, the
community, and themselves. Their balanced business model of self-
interest and public interest shows how the marketplace can grow
globally in harmony with the interests of workers, capitalists, and
the community -- and can even displace bad government.

The golden rule is the correct solution in business and life. But
would we have recognized this Aristotelian mean without sampling
Rand's anthem, or for that matter, the other extreme of
Marxism-Leninism? As Benjamin Franklin said, "By the collision of
different sentiments, sparks of truth are struck out, and political
light is obtained."

John Galt, it's time to come home and go to work.

Mark Skousen has taught economics at Columbia University and is the 
author of the new book, "The Big Three in Economics."

Copyright 2007 The Christian Science Monitor

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[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It was just about fifty years ago that
I had an opportunity to meet Ms. Rand in person. March or April of
1957 comes to mind. I was in high school, freshman year, and the
captain of our school debating team. Our debate 'coach' (who also was
the 'government' and sociology teacher at our school and in charge of
the all-school 'assemblies' from time to time) asked for suggestions
from the debate team on people to invite to speak to students in the
assemblies. The name of Ayn Rand came up; she had already written
several books (the best known being 'The Fountainhead' at that
time). Her other major work ('Atlas Shrugged') had come out a month or
two before. Or maybe it was about to be printed, I do not recall, but
there were already several reviews of it including the Monitor (which
in those days was _not_ a tabloid paper like today but a full-size
seven days per week newspaper with many thoughtful pieces each day,
considerable news, with a _much_ larger circulation. Everyone who was
anyone had a subscription to the Christian Science Monitor, including
all school and public libraries.

Well, we wrote her a letter; she agreed to come to the school and
lecture to our assembly. But there was one problem: she was going
literally everywhere, hawking her new book and we would have to agree
to get her to Ohare Airport in Chicago in time for her flight to her
next stop by 8 PM.  Otherwise she would simply go on and not bother
with us; could we do that?  Of course we would.  The day came, she
arrived, made a very eloquent speech in her broken English (mostly
English, with a lot of Russian words mixed in.) She also had copies of
'Fountainhead' with her and she sold autographed copies of Atlas and
Fountainhead after her speech. I had an autographed hard copy of
'Atlas' until someone unknown stole it one day from me a few years ago. 

I went to school in Whiting, Indiana; getting to Ohare from Whiting
was not a big deal, so Arthur Erickson, (the teacher) agreed to
take her. And Arthur asked me to go along, "we will stop and eat
dinner at Condes (a sort of elegant little place in Whiting) on the
way." It was a _much_ different Ohare in those days than now,
certainly. Well, after school we started out; we landed at the
restaurant in a few minutes and went inside. Smoking cigarettes was
a perfectly acceptable thing to do in those days, so once we went
in and were seated, Arthur and Ms. Rand immediatly lighted up; she with
her long cigarette holder, Arthur with his Viceroy and I, (since
I regarded Arthur as my example and hero) smoked a Viceroy also. 
Arthur and Ms. Rand both ordered vodka-martinis with their dinner,
I think I had a coke. Underage drinking _was_ against the law. Arthur
suggested I show Ms. Rand the review of 'Atlas' which had been
in the Christian Science Monitor that same day or the day before.
It was a rather large, lengthy review -- taking almost an entire
page -- so she sat there reading it, taking occassional drags from
her cigarette holder and sipping her martini. Alternatly, she would
intently STARE at me as though she wanted to say something. Finally
she did speak up:  "Such a remarkable, intelligent young man! Too
smart to believe in Gott!  Do you believe in Gott?"

I do not remember what I said, but I remember Arthur was about
to die from trying to conceal his smirking behind his copy of
a paper he was reading. Hand over his mouth and bogus cough. I do
not remember much else of the trip getting her to Ohare. I do 
remember her saying she lived on Riverside Drive in New York City
and two or three months later, Arthur had a summer job commitment
to do some seminar thing at Columbia University for a week, and
he came over to see my mother and she consented to me going along
with him. Although I was told strictly _do not_ go anywhere off
of this campus _without him_, I of course knew better, and the
first day we were there, I decided to try and find Ms. Rand. I
looked her up in the phone book, set out for that address on 
Riverside Drive (which I was told was about a mile away so I did not
feel I was being 'too disobedient' to Arthur or my mother) but her
husband Frank O'Connor came to the door and told me she was 
somewhere (I forget where) on her book promotion tour and would
be back in a couple weeks. He was very gracious also, and suggested
I check back 'around the end of July', but I did not bother. By that
time I think I had other things on my mind instead. When people are
critical of her, they should recall that she was born in Russia just
prior to the Russian Revolution and lived in Russia for several years
prior to immigrating to the USA in the 1930's.  PAT] 

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:14:30 -0600
From: Neal McLain <nmclain@annsgarden.com>
Subject: Integrated Broadcast/CATV Tuners


CableLabs' Off-Air Receiver Project Could Pull In TV Signals, Reclaim 
Bandwidth, Sidestep Retrans Fees

By Todd Spangler 3/12/2007
Multichannel News

Cable wants to put rabbit ears back in the home -- a technical irony
that could help the industry conserve big chunks of bandwidth on its
network of fiber and coaxial transmission pipes.

The plan could also let the industry avoid shelling out millions in 
retransmission fees to broadcasters.

CableLabs, in a two-paragraph press release earlier this month, said
it is developing specifications for an interface that would let
set-top boxes receive digital broadcast signals off the air. This
technology would allow households to see broadcast TV signals
alongside cable programming -- as an integrated viewing experience, --
the consortium said.

http://tinyurl.com/2vqkkl

Ok, so what happens if some independent fourth-party manufacturer (say
Dell or Apple) starts selling TVs with Cablelabs-compliant digital
tuners that integrate off-air broadcast signals with CATV-delivered
signals?  Or if TiVo starts selling Cablelabs-compliant DVRs?  Do
Dell, Apple, and TiVo have to get retransmission consent?

And what happens if MDU owners distribute off-air broadcast signals to
apartments (just like they did back in the 1950s)?  Do MDU owners have
to get retransmission consent if residents connect the off-air signal
to a Cablelabs-compliant device?

I can't wait.

Neal McLain

------------------------------

From: Steven J. Sobol <sjsobol@JustThe.net>
Subject: Re: Troubles With Computers' Daylight Shift
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:04:50 UTC
Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com


In article <telecom26.75.9@telecom-digest.org>, Duh_OZ wrote:

> Tech showed up today to fix the clock on the XP (SP1) boxes. 

Why on God's green earth are you still running SP1? Do you realize how
many security hotfixes you don't have installed on those boxes?


Steve Sobol, Professional Geek ** Java/VB/VC/PHP/Perl ** Linux/*BSD/Windows
Victorville, California     PGP:0xE3AE35ED

It's all fun and games until someone starts a bonfire in the living room.

------------------------------

From: T <nospam.kd1s@cox.nospam.net>
Subject: Re: Troubles With Computers' Daylight Shift
Organization: The Ace Tomato and Cement Company
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:29:51 -0400


In article <telecom26.75.8@telecom-digest.org>, sjsobol@JustThe.net 
says:

> In article <telecom26.74.11@telecom-digest.org>, TELECOM Digest Ediot
> noted in response to Steven J Sobol:

>> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am running a version of Windows 2000
>> which is fully up to date with security patches as issued by
>> Microsoft. The trouble, I suspect, is the NetTime 2.0b7 software

> No.

> The trouble is that people don't realize that protocols like NTP and
> apps like NetTime and AtomTime, both of which I've used, both of which
> are fine programs, DO NOT CHANGE DST SETTINGS.

> In other words, they can adjust for DST, but this year the start and
> end dates for DST changed.

> On the Linux and FreeBSD servers I maintain, I use NTP. I still had to
> manually update the DST dates on some of the older ones. The newer
> ones just required me to download new binary packages, or in the case
> of our log server that runs SuSe 10.0, the time zone data was already
> up to date because 10 is a relatively recent version. (The mandate
> went out from Washington in 2005, so there's been plenty of time for
> OS vendors to update their stuff.)

Our Debian boxes worked just fine, but we had to patch a couple of older 
RH7.3 boxes. 

>> puTTY stopped working because as far as it was concerned, I was 
>> tampering with the time manually, and puTTY considers that some sort
>> of security issue.  PAT]

> Weird.

> My WinXP laptop and my WinXP computer at the office both updated
> automatically through Microsoft's auto-update service, and PuTTY
> didn't skip a beat on either computer.

Same for me. Sounds like his host info changed and the server doesn't
recognize it. Time to hose the entry for his login in
/etc/sshd/known.hosts

In article <telecom26.75.9@telecom-digest.org>, ozzy.kopec@gmail.com 
says:

> On Mar 13, 12:09 am, Brian Bergstein, AP Technology <a...@telecom-
> digest.org> wrote:

>> Few woes mark computers' daylight shift
>> By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Technology Writer
>> Mon Mar 12, 4:27 PM ET

>> <snip>

>> Most home PCs got the time patches sent automatically, but users
>> without automatic updates who now sport erroneous clocks should visit
>> their providers' Web sites such as http://www.microsoft.com/dst2007.
>> </snip>.

> ========

> Tech showed up today to fix the clock on the XP (SP1) boxes.   He was
> scratching his head wondering why he was called to change the system
> clock so I showed him how us lowly users didn't have permission to do
> so.  He signs on each machine, bumps the clock ahead 1 hour and heads
> downstairs to do more boxes.   Comes back up only to see the time
> reverted back an hour.  Tries it again, same thing.   Tries changing
> it in the BIOS, weird happenings as the computer would boot with DST
> in effect, then about 10 seconds later it would go back one hour.
> Goes to M$ to apply any critical updates, same thing.   He *knows* he
> read something somewhere about the problem, so he Googles away and
> sees KB931836.   Applies the patch and finally everything is working.
> Burns the file to a CD and fixes the other six computers in the
> building.   That still leaves around 4,000 to do :0)     I'm just glad
> they sent a tech over that figured it out.  Support was still
> insisting they were applying patches remotely.   Considering it was
> Friday and no-one was on DST I don't think that was happening.

> Oh yeah as to http://www.microsoft.com/dst2007 - it says for us
> corporate workers to call tech support, so that's what I did.  I guess
> M$ assumes your tech support actually has basic knowledge of some sort
> :-/

Your tech worker isn't worth much. Windows XP SP1 couldn't be fixed 
other than downloading and using tzedit.exe. 

This means your machines NEVER update since SP2 is the current
version, and it automatically applied the time zone file.

We knew about this for nearly two years, yet almost everyone chose to
act a month before the change.

Luckily in my shop, we had all hundred+ computers patched and fixed,
as we still have a lot of Windows 2000 machines.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That is _exactly_ what was happening
> here (in addition to puTTY's complaint). I can go into the clock
> settings and bump my time around but then in ten seconds give or take
> when I happen to look at the clock again it had on its own gone back
> to the old time. But I got clued in when I quit worrying about the
> time as such and instead manually set the date ahead _three months_ or
> some such; now look at the clock; all is okay. At first I would get a
> message on screen saying 'clock out of synch by some (gross) amount of
> time. Should I reset it or shut down the time server?' Then I unticked
> the warning box for that and the clock would very sneakily reset
> itself to the old time without bothering to warn me; obviously the
> computer knew best ...  PAT]

First do a Windows Update on your machine. That'll probably update the 
time settings as well as about 200 or so KB's and SP's. 

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2007 10:44:03 -0400
From: Rick Merrill <rick0.merrill@NOSPAM.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: EAS (was Reverse 911)


Neal McLain wrote:

> PAT wrote:

>> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Around here, the cable company runs a
>> ticker strip message for missing children...

> Those are Emergency Alert System (EAS) notices.  FCC requires every CATV 
> serving over 1000 subs to carry EAS notices, and to keep a record of all 
> such notices.

> http://www.hallikainen.com/FccRules/2007/76/1711/

> The EAS includes numerous "event codes": amber alert, blizzard, civil
> emergency, earthquake, fire, flood, gas leak, nuclear plant warning,
> railroad emergency, school closing emergency, tornado, tsunami, 911
> telephone outage, among others.

> The Kansas EAS Plan is at
> http://www.kansas.gov/kdem/pdf/commissions/eas_1998plan.pdf Kansas EAS
> codes are listed in Annex G.

> EAS notices can come from state or local sources, or even from the
> President of the United States.
> http://www.hallikainen.com/FccRules/2007/11/18/

>> Actually, the city of Independence has that built into
>> the cableco franchise agreement: a channel for the high
>> school and college's use (channel 22); a channel for the
>> city itself (channel 14): and an 'all-purpose' general
>> channel for anyone to use (channel 10)...

> These channels are called, respectively, Educational, Government, and
> Public Access Channels.  Collectively, they're usually specified in
> the following order: Public, Educational, and Government; hence, the
> abbreviation "PEG channels."

>> The city insisted that these channels all be in the 'free, basic'
>> part of the spectrum so that everyone would be able to listen to
>> them with or without payment for the premium channels (which they
>> refer to as 'basic extended' (channels 25 and upward)...

> That term is consistent with common CATV industry practice:

> - "Basic" identifies the single tier of channels that must
>     be available to all subscribers.

> - "Premium" means any channel offered at a per-channel
>     charge (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and The Movie Channel);
>     at a per-program charge (PPV); or as part of a group of
>     two or more channels offered as a package under a common
>     brand name (Encore; Starz).

> - "Extended basic" means any multichannel tier other than
>     basic or premium.

> - "Fat Basic" means the basic tier if the CATV system
>     doesn't carry any extended basic tiers.

> Under FCC rules, the basic tier includes:

> -  All broadcast stations for which carriage is required
>     pursuant to the must-carry rules or to a retransmission-
>     consent agreement.

> -  PEG channels if required by the Local Franchising
>     Authority.

> -  Any additional channels that the cable operator carries
>     voluntarily.

> http://www.hallikainen.com/FccRules/2007/76/901/

> Neal McLain

Our MA cablecast is also (by law) plugged into the statewide Emergency
Announcement System (EAS is a digital upgrade to the old Emergency
Broadcasting System). The EAS random tests completely replace PEG
transmissions.  The state's EAS coordinator says EAS is activated via
state police. EAS sends a 1.5 min. Audio message every 30 min. with a
single frame of RED video that entirely overrides the cablecast.

------------------------------


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Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your
career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management
(MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35
credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the
skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including
data, video, and voice networks.

The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College
of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the
College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has
state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus
offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum.  Classes
are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning.

Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at
405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at
http://www.mstm.okstate.edu

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   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 fifty dollars
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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 V26 #76
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