August 27, 2003
Copying DVDs
In spite of the recent court rulings and the pressures from the entertainment industry to prevent any copying of DVDs, we are permitted to make archival copies of DVD movies and other content.
For those interested in the copy process and software, Yahoo has a regular series called Tech Tuesday. This week they highlight articles on DVDs from the Ziff Davis group(publishers of PC Mag and others). In addition to a review of the DVD copy issues and process, they present an article evaluating DVD software and offer some shareware downloads as well.
Since the link to Tech Tuesday may change after this week, here is the link to the DVD article, the software review and the shareware downloads.
August 22, 2003
Transferring volumes of data is cheaper by truck
Jim Gray (of Microsoft's research team) has realized that, when you're transfering a lot of data, those brown trucks are faster and cheaper than the Internet.
An interview with Jim Gray who is described as a giant in the world of database and transaction-processing computer systems. The interview begins with:
"Sit down, turn off your cellphone, and prepare to be fascinated. Clear your schedule, because once you've started reading this interview, you won't be able to put it down until you've finished it. "
August 20, 2003
Journal of Mundane Behavior
Somehow when everyone is looking for the new, interesting and coolest things around, there stands an interesting publication that should be included in the 'different' category - The Journal of Mundane Behavior.
The JMB is a real journal hosted by the Department of Sociology and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at California State University, Fullerton. They describe themselves as "a peer-reviewed journal that is devoted to the study of the "unmarked" -- those aspects of our everyday lives that typically go unnoticed by us, both as individuals and as academics. "
Topics in the current issue include: "Understanding Television without Television: A Study of Suspended Television Viewing" or "Status and tolerance of ill-mannered persons: A field study"
One would think that a study of mundane behavior would be like the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot.
There is cetainly fascination with the mundane - now there is science.
August 02, 2003
WiFi Continues to Proliferate
Many cities and college campuses are making Wi-Fi as free as the foliage in public plazas. And now you can use Wi-Fi gratis in New York if you're a Verizon Internet subscriber or eating an Extra Value Meal at some McDonald's restaurants. There are a growing number of places where people with a properly outfitted laptop or handheld computer can get wireless Internet access without reaching for a credit card.
In addition to Wi-Fi use in homes and offices, the United States has some 5,000 public hot spots. That includes 2,700 operated by wireless phone carrier T-Mobile, mainly in Starbucks coffee shops and Borders bookstores. T-Mobile charges 10 cents a minute (the minimum cost is $6, however), $40 a month or $360 a year, though existing T-Mobile customers can sign up for $20 a month.
Nine businesses along Boston's Newbury Street have shelled out $350 each to share a high-speed data line that feeds their stores so they can transmit free Wi-Fi. The network has been running for more than a year, and no store has dropped out in disappointment.
It is predicted that similar models eventually will dominate. In that scenario, an Internet company like America Online would buy wholesale hot spot access for its customers from a provider like Cometa Networks Inc., a joint venture backed by Intel, AT&T Corp. and IBM Corp. Businesses point out that there's much more money to be had in selling more books, more coffee, many more bottles of wine, rather than trying to sell (Wi-Fi) access. The traditional payment plan of by the hour, or by the month, is eventually going to go away.
Because it uses unlicensed radio frequencies, Wi-Fi is relatively easy and inexpensive to operate. Many new laptop computers automatically detect Wi-Fi networks, while others easily can be made to do so by plugging in a wireless card. Many of the major cities such as New York or San Francisco have websites to help in getting WiFi access.
