TELECOM Digest     Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:21:00 EDT    Volume 26 : Issue 79

Inside This Issue:                            Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Online Anomynity Lets Users Get Nast, Hateful (Jocelyn Noveck, AP)
    Microsoft says Probing Fraud on XBox Live Service (Reuters News Wire)
    "Please Enter Your ID Number" so We May Ignore it (Lisa Hancock)
    Obituary: John Backus, Fortran Developer, Passing (Lisa Hancock)    
    "Authorized Contractor" For Big Carriers? (Lisa Hancock
    Top Vendors, Operators Form IPTV Group (USTelecom dailyLead)
    EarthLink Plans Wi-Fi Phone (USTelecom dailyLead)
    From PC to TV -- via Apple (Monty Solomon)
    CommunicationsDirect News Daily Update (communicationsdirect_daily)

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Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:15:24 -0500
From: Jocelyn Noveck, AP Writer <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Online Anonymity Lets Users Get Nasty, Hateful


By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer

When a California woman recently gave birth to a healthy baby just two 
days after learning she was pregnant, the sudden change to her life was 
challenging enough. What April Branum definitely didn't need was a 
deluge of nasty Internet comments.

Postings on message boards made cracks about Branum's weight (about 400 
pounds -- one reason she says didn't realize sooner she was pregnant). 
They also analyzed her housekeeping ability, based on a photo of her 
home. And they called her names. "A pig is a pig," one person wrote. 
Another suggested that she "go on the show 'The Biggest Loser.'"

"The thing that bothered me most was, people assumed because I am
overweight, I'm going to be a bad mom," Branum says. "And that is not
one little bit true."

It was yet another example of how the Internet -- and the anonymity it 
affords -- has given a public stage to people's basest thoughts, ones 
that in earlier eras likely never would have traveled past the 
watercooler, the kitchen table or the next barstool.

Such incidents -- and there are countless across cyberspace -- also
raise the question: Is there anything to be done about it? Or is a
decline in civil discourse simply the price that we pay for the
advance of technology?

"The Internet really amplifies everything," says Jeffrey Cole, of the 
Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern 
California. "We have a lot of opinions out there. All of a sudden 
there's a place we can go to share them." Add to that the freedom that 
anonymity provides, he says, and it "can lead to a rowdy Wild West 
situation, with no one to filter it."

"It's all things said reflexively, without thinking," says Cole, who
tracks the political and social impact of the Internet as director of
Annenberg's Center for the Digital Future.

"My guess is that if you went back to these people, a lot of them
would have second thoughts." And if you asked them to add their name,
as in a traditional letter to the editor? "They'd be embarrassed."

There are examples everywhere of anonymous comments that cause
harm. On even the most innocuous sites -- a parenting message board,
for example -- anonymity often leads to the type of response that
would hardly be likely if names were attached.

"People post insults on here left and right," one person wrote Monday
on the New York edition of urbanbaby.com, a networking site for new
mothers. "It seems the common word these posts have is Fat. Just
because someone is overweight, fat, thick whatever you call us,
doesn't mean we are ugly, lazy or insecure ... So stop the childish
remarks."

News organizations, struggling to find ways to keep their readers
involved in an increasingly digital and interactive world, are trying
to strike the right balance.

Branum's case fueled debate at the Orange County Register, whose Web
site had only recently added a public comment section after news
stories. OCRegister.com deputy editor Jeff Light says the site has
modified its message board, only six weeks old, in response to staff
concerns about inappropriate posts. Now, among other changes, language
is more specific about what the site expects from those who post, and
how a comment can be deleted.

Ideally, Light says, it's the users, not the site's operators, that
should determine what is discussed, and how. "The comment area is not
a journalistic space," he says. "The point is for people to react
freely."

And Yahoo News took down its message boards completely in December,
with the goal of finding a new system that doesn't let a small group
of vocal users dominate the discourse. "Our hope is to raise the value
of the conversation," says Yahoo spokesman Brian Nelson.

Harm can be much greater when people are singled out by name on the
Web; such attacks can hurt someone's career or home life. One
entrepreneur is trying to help people recover from such attacks with a
company he started last year: ReputationDefender.

"It takes one person 20 minutes to destroy your reputation, and it
costs them nothing," says Michael Fertik, who employs about 40
part-time "agents" on what he calls "search and destroy" missions
against unwarranted Internet attacks. "It can take you 200 hours to
try to clean it up."

Fertik, who says his is the only company providing such a service, has
clients ranging from victims of unfair comments on dating Web sites to
people who feel they've been mistreated on MySpace.com. He also is
helping several female law students fight what they call defamatory
sexist and racist comments on a message board widely read in the legal
community. Their story was reported earlier this month by The
Washington Post.

Fertik says he offers "a PR service for the everyday person," charging
a fee that can be as low as $10 monthly, for a thorough search of
Internet references. The "destroy" part starts with a polite letter
and can occasionally lead to threatened legal action. (Generally, Web
site operators are not liable for offensive postings.)

One person who takes it pretty much in stride is Branum, the
California woman who was unaware she was pregnant until Feb. 26, two
days before she gave birth. Her sister had alerted the newspaper to
the story.  Neither of them anticipated the nasty comments that rolled
in.

But, Branum says, "it's America. People are going to say what they're 
going to say. It's going to be everywhere, and you can't stop it. 
Anybody's allowed." She says the flip side was the posts that came in 
defending her -- and the cards and letters from people she didn't know, 
wishing her luck.

Her fiance was less forgiving, even calling the paper to complain. 
Branum said she had a simple response for him: "Deal with it."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One thing I have found personal
experience after a quarter-century doing this thing if you have
to have _very thick skin_, and basically ignore people; if you
try to adjust to satisfy all the readers, you may as well simply
give up.  That's one thing Lisa Minter never did understand; she
was very depressed and upset by the nature of the (at times) very
hateful and ignorant comments she received in the short time she
helped me.  PAT]

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

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:10:09 -0500
From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Microsoft says Probing Fraud on XBox Live Service


Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday said it is actively investigating reports
of "fraudulent behavior and theft" on its Xbox Live online video
gaming service, which has more than 6 million subscribers.

"Recently, there have been reports of fraudulent activity and account
theft taking place on the Xbox Live network," Microsoft said in an
e-mailed statement.

On February 11, an Xbox Live user posted a message on a Microsoft Xbox
forum complaining about a hacked account and stolen credit card
information.

Security is a major concern for Microsoft, whose operating system is a
favorite target for hackers, and for online commerce sites such as
eBay Inc., which has an entire team devoted to online security and
safety.

Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines each day, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: "Please Enter Your ID Number" So We May Ignore it
Date: 20 Mar 2007 13:52:51 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


I telephoned a large business today.  As usual, the answering machine
asked me to enter my account number "for faster service".  I did so.
After the usual parade through many menus I was connected to an actual
human being.  The first thing she asked me for was my account number,
even though I had keyed it in "for faster service".

I find this happens all the time.

What is the point of requesting an account number if it isn't going to
be automatically forwarded to the person handling the call?

With today's fancy computer systems, the idea is that after getting my
account number, my account screen is immediately displayed to the
person handling my call, saving the time to ask for my account number
and her to key it it.  But this never happens.  (Some systems are
fancy enough to check the caller ID of your phone number and use that
to bring up your account, but these get fouled if you call from work
or a different phone.)

Anyone familiar with the programming of these 'automated' systems and
would care to comment?   Thanks.

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Obituary: John Backus, Fortran Developer, Passing
Date: 21 Mar 2007 07:54:56 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


See:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/business/20backus.html

John Backus, retired from IBM, passed away.  He was the inventor of
the first "high level" computer language, Fortran, that created
computer accessibility to millions of people.

Before Fortran, computer programs had to be written in assembler
language, which was the native internal logic of the computer
hardware.  Every task had to be broken down into very structured basic
steps.  The programmer had to know specialized arithmetic, such as
binary or octal and an intimate knowledge of the computer's internal
techniques.

Every computer had its own specific internal logic, so programs
written for one type of computer couldn't be run on another type.
Programmers had to learn a whole new logic structure of every computer
they used.

Fortran allowed programs to be written in an algebraic like language
that was already familiar to engineers and scientists who were using
the computer for research.

Fortran also paved the way for other languages such as BASIC and
COBOL.

Fortran works by translasting the algebraic instructions into the
structured basic basic steps of assembler language.  To the
programmer, the language remains mostly the same even on different
computers by different manufacturers.

Those of us who utilize computers in our career owe a great deal to
Mr. Backus (as well as Grace Hopper who developed COBOL and Kemeny and
Kurtz who developed BASIC.)

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: "Authorized Contractor" For Big Carriers?
Date: 21 Mar 2007 12:35:08 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


My area is served by Verizon and Comcast Cable.

I've noticed plain white trucks bearing a stick-on sign saying
"Verizon Authorized Contractor" or "Comcast Authorized Contractor".

I am not very impressed with the people in such trucks.  Compared to
regular crews they seem, quite frankly, to be rather scuzzy.  They
don't seem to be as proficient in their work habits or job skills;
that is, when I see them working on lines they seem confused in
tracking down junction boxes or knowing what to do.  In the case of
fixing broken cableTV dome junctions, they never seem to do it right,
or do it extremely sloppy (letting coax lay across the lawn or even
sidewalks).

My own experience with a Verizon Contractor was very negative and I
complained to the company.  They waived the charges for his services.

My guess is that the carriers are trying to save money by outsourcing.
They regular employees (particulary Verizon) get a salary and benefits
and may be union, while contractors get zilch.

I think we the public are the ones hurt by this practice; an example
of cheap outsourcing results in cheap services.

For Comcast Cable, whose predecessor local cable companies were rather
threadbare already*, subcontracting is scary.  If I lose my TV picture
my life isn't over, but nowadays many people have the 'net hookup via
cable and even their telephone service.  That's "mission critical"
service.

I had them out on a service call once and their man blamed me for a
problem in the wiring that _they_ installed, although I was not
charged for the call.

*Their intitial wire stringing was extremely low budget, done very
fast on the cheap.  It eventually had to be redone.

Comments anyone?
[R#2]

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

Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:39:42 CDT
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: March 20, 2007 - Top Vendors, Operators Form IPTV Group


USTelecom dailyLead
March 20, 2007
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/gtywfDtusXoltWCibuddbEyF

TODAY'S HEADLINES


NEWS OF THE DAY
* Top vendors, operators form IPTV group
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* AT&T eyes multiple HD streams
* Microsoft's new phone system targets SMBs
* Verizon bolsters VoIP network with new service
* XO's NextLink arrives in Phoenix
* Yahoo! unveils oneSearch for mobiles
* Alltel aims to extend brand through cable sponsorships
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* IBM, Cisco to unveil emergency-services partnership
* Apple TV will be more popular than TiVo, analyst predicts
* Q&A: AT&T Labs exec talks home networking
* Survey: HSDPA market surging
* Future looks bright for fiber optics
IP DOWNLOAD
* Samsung to release wireless HD set-top box for IPTV

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/gtywfDtusXoltWCibuddbEyF

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

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 12:09:08 CDT
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: EarthLink Plans Wi-Fi Phone


USTelecom dailyLead
March 21, 2007
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/guocfDtusXoqrUCibuddtRUe

TODAY'S HEADLINES


NEWS OF THE DAY
* EarthLink plans Wi-Fi phone
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* AT&T's U-verse goes live in Kansas City area
* Carriers, handset makers support Qualcomm
* BT comes to aid of smaller U.S. cable, telecom companies
* Verizon courts customers in New York
* BenQ rejects chairman's resignation attempt
USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT
* Register for NXTcomm today!
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Broadband providers look to sweeten advertising pot
* Networks try to keep viewers in seats for commercials
* Nortel makes live UMB call
* Dobson Communications contracts with VeriSign
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* Petition: FCC should have no say over Internet TV
* Britain weighs in on net neutrality

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/guocfDtusXoqrUCibuddtRUe

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

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:09:41 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: From PC to TV -- via Apple


March 21, 2007
 From PC to TV -- via Apple
BY WALTER S. MOSSBERG AND KATHERINE BOEHRET

The race to connect your TV to your computer and the Internet is about
to kick into high gear this week when Apple Inc., the company many
believe is best positioned to pull off this feat, introduces a
slender, wireless set-top box called Apple TV.

This silvery little $299 gadget is designed to play and display on a
widescreen family-room TV set all the music, video and photos stored
on up to six computers around the house -- even if they are far from
the TV, and even if they are all Windows PCs rather than Apple's own
Macintosh models. It can also pull a very limited amount of music and
video directly off the Internet onto the TV.

Apple TV is tiny, just about eight inches square and an inch high, far
smaller than a typical DVD player or cable or satellite box, even
though it packs in a 40-gigabyte hard disk, an Intel processor and a
modified version of the Mac operating system. And it has a carefully
limited set of functions.  Yet, in our tests, it worked great, and we
can easily recommend it for people who are yearning for a simple way
to show on their big TVs all that stuff trapped on their computers. We
tried it with various combinations of Windows and Mac computers, with
movies, photos, TV shows, video clips and music. And we didn't even
use the fastest wireless network it can handle. It performed
flawlessly. However, it won't work with older TVs unless they can
display widescreen-formatted content and accept some newer types of
cables.

http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20070321.html

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

Subject: CommunicationsDirect News Daily Update
From: communicationsdirect <communicationsdirect@communicationsdirectnews.com>
Reply-To: communicationsdirect_daily-owner@communicationsdirectnews.com
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 10:10:28 EDT


********************************
PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents
The CommunicationsDirect Daily Update
For March 21, 2007
********************************

Amp'd Launches in Japan and Canada
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/140/23365?11228

     Amp'd, the entertainment- and content-focused MVNO from the
     United States, has now launched in Canada and Japan. The Canadian
     launch had been intended to coincide with number portability
     being introduced on 14 March 2007, but appears to have been
     delayed until 19 March 2007.  The Canadian deal with TELUS will
     essentially allow TELUS ...

Global Crossing and Verizon Add to VoIP Services
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/120/23362?11228

     Global Crossing and Verizon have both expanded their VoIP
     offerings this week, with Global Crossing extending its VoIP
     local service, which supports direct inward dialling, to new
     territories including Rome, Milan, and Hong Kong, adding to
     international markets in Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland,
     Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the ...

Researchers Integrate Photonic Circuitry On Silicon Chip
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/150/23359?11228

     MIT researchers have developed a new way of placing photonic
     circuitry onto a silicon chip, potentially paving the way for
     such integrated devices to be mass-manufactured for the first
     time.  Microphotonics aims to control the flow of light. The
     technology promises to break up the roadblock caused by uniting
     fiber optics and ...

What It Means to Work Here
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/120/23358?11228

     What distinguishes a company that has deeply engaged and
     committed employees from another one that doesn't? It's not a
     certain compensation scheme or talent-management practice.
     Instead, it's the ability to express to current and potential
     employees what makes the organization unique. Companies with
     highly engaged employees ...

Skype Becomes a Money Mover
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/150/23357?11228

     SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Spring VON 2007 -- Skype Ltd. founder Niklas
     Zennstrom announced a soon-to-be-added Skype service called
     'Send Money' during his keynote speech here Tuesday.
     The new service is a mash-up of Skype VOIP and eBay
     Inc. ecommerce application PayPal. Together the two make
     something like Western Union ...

MSS Providers Must Partner To Prosper
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/140/23351?11228

     Mobile satellite services (MSS) consulting firm Telecom, Media and
     Finance Associates Inc. (TMF Associates) says Globalstar's
     recently announced system problems will impact growth prospects
     across the handheld MSS market. According to TMF analyst Tim
     Farrar, "The MSS market is in a state of upheaval, with a war of
     words ...

Insider Eyes Virtual Desktops
http://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/140/23349?11228

     Desktop virtualization is set to make its mark as more businesses
     look for cost savings, although there is still some confusion to
     be cleared up before it goes mainstream.  These were the findings
     of "Desktop Virtualization: Market Prospects," the latest Byte
     and Switch Insider, which examines both PC- and server-based ...

Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to:
CommunicationsDirect Editor <telecom_direct_editor@us.pwc.com>

Copyright (C) 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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


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End of TELECOM Digest V26 #79
*****************************