Episode 086

posted in: Show Notes

 GLENN'S SHOWNOTES

Optus taking on Telstra with 42Mbps 3G network: News – Communications – ZDNet Australia
Optus taking on Telstra with 42Mbps 3G network

 

Today Optus announced plans to expand its 3G network coverage next year to 98 percent of Australia and will bring mobile speeds up to 42Mbps by 2010, in a direct challenge to rival Telstra.

The telco is embarking on an investment program to expand its coverage from 96 percent of Australia's population to 98 percent by December 2009, in an upgrade which will cost the company AU$315 million.

As part of the upgrade it will also be upping bandwidth across the network to 28Mbps from late 2009, with the aim of working with "strategic partners" to increase that speed to 42Mbps by the end of 2010, according to CEO Paul O'Sullivan.

"With this significant expansion we will be the only mobile carrier capable of challenging [Telstra's] network reach," he said in a statement.

It's expected that Telstra will beat Optus in establishing 42Mbps speeds after the national carrier announced in February that it plans to have the Next G network running at that speed by the end of 2009.

Microsoft moves on after Yahoo break-up: News – Business – ZDNet Australia
Microsoft moves on after Yahoo break-up

 

In the wake of Microsoft's decision to pull its Yahoo offer, executives are trying to make the case that Redmond's online business can go it alone.

Speaking to investors Tuesday, Windows Live General Manager Brian Hall tried to bring the focus back to what Microsoft is doing 'on its own', rather than what might have been.

Neil Young to release archive on Blu-ray discs – Breaking News – Technology – Breaking News
Neil Young plans to release his entire music archive on Blu-ray discs, a sign that the discs' capabilities are building appeal among musicians as well as movie studios.

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Young revealed his plans Tuesday at a Sun Microsystems Inc. conference in San Francisco. Santa Clara-based Sun makes the Java technology that gives Blu-ray discs their interactive menus and ability to accept updates over an Internet connection.

The first installment of Young's archive will cover the years 1963 to 1972 and will be released as a 10-disc set this fall on Reprise/Warner Bros. Records.

Young said the archives will be released chronologically and include some previously unreleased songs, videos, handwritten manuscripts and other memorabilia, in addition to the high-resolution audio that Blu-ray technology is known for.

Fans can download more content like songs, photos and tour information directly to the Blu-ray discs as the content becomes available.

Spam turns 30 – web – Technology – brisbanetimes.com.au
Spam turns 30

 

This week, the world marks an anniversary that has changed the face – and other anatomical regions – of email inboxes everywhere: the first known spam email was sent 30 years ago on Saturday.

But the message sent on May 3, 1978 by a marketer for the now defunct DEC computer company to around 400 people on the west coast of the United States wasn't called spam, and the sender dispatched it without ill intent.

Spam got its name from a skit by the television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, in which a group of Vikings in a restaurant that serves all of its food with Spam tinned meat sing a song repeating the word ad nauseum, says Brad Templeton, who has thoroughly researched the subject.

Brazen scammer claims to be fraud squad head – Technology – brisbanetimes.com.au
Brazen scammer claims to be fraud squad head

 

Victims of a new scam are being targeted by someone claiming to be the head of the NSW Police Force fraud squad.

Detectives are warning of a "phishing" scam in which Sydney residents receive an automated phone call at home or work concerning a court appearance they didn't know about. They press a button and are put through to another person.

In many cases, that person is someone claiming to be Col Dyson, the fraud squad commander, who asks them for their bank account details.

The real Detective Superintendent Colin Dyson said residents were being told their court date has been changed or they were the victim of an identity scam before the courts and should move their money to an account to protect it.

Residents who believe they have been a victim of this scam are urged to contact their local police station or the Police Assistance Line on 131 444. Reports will be referred to the NSW Police Force's Fraud Squad.

Criminal hackers claim copyright over malware – Security – Technology
Criminal hackers claim copyright over malware

 

Even criminal hackers want to protect their intellectual property, and they've come up with a method akin to copyrighting – with an appropriate dash of internet thuggery thrown in.

Professional virus writers are now selling a suite of software on the internet with an unusual attachment: a detailed licensing agreement that promises penalties for redistributing the malicious code without permission.

New game gizmo uses mind control – Technology – BrisbaneTimes
New game gizmo uses mind control

 

An Australian company is gearing up to release a computer headset that allows people to control video games using only the power of their minds.

Emotiv Systems, founded by four Australian scientists in 2003, will release the $US299 ($315) EPOC headset on the US market this year. Australians will be able to order it online.

Featuring 14 sensors that measure electrical impulses from the brain, the headset – which plugs into the PC's USB port – will enable games to register facial expressions, emotions and even cognitive thoughts, allowing players to perform in-game actions just by visualising them.

The headset works in a similar way to voice recognition, in that it must first be calibrated using Emotiv's software to recognise patterns in the user's electrical brain impulses, which are used to perform 30 preset actions.

When the player performs those same thoughts in the game the software knows to associate them with the correct action, such as rotate object or push object.

iinet intro unmetered iTunes content
http://www.iinet.net.au/my/itunes/index.html

PS3 Edges ahead of XBOX 360 in Europe Market
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/18091/532/

Low cost "One Laptop Per Child" program is heading for Australia
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=75455

iTWire – India to get first direct cable link to the UK
India to get first direct cable link to the UK

 Sixteen telecommunications companies have announced plans to build The $US700m Europe India Gateway (EIG) cable system that will give the booming economy of India its first direct cable link to the UK.

The 15,000km EIG cable is scheduled to be operational by mid 2010

Eagle to get second chance with 'bionic beak' – CNN.com
Eagle to get second chance with 'bionic beak'

 

ST. MARIES, Idaho (AP) — She has been named Beauty, though this eagle is anything but.

  • The eagle was found in 2005 slowly starving to death at a landfill in Alaska
  • Most of its upper beak had been shot away, leaving its tongue and sinuses exposed
  • A mechanical engineer offered to design an artificial beak
  • With the new beak, the 7-year-old bald eagle could live to the age of 50

Beauty, a rescued Alaskan bald eagle, could live another 40 years after receiving her new artificial beak.

Part of Beauty's beak was shot off several years ago, leaving her with a stump that is useless for hunting food.

A team of volunteers is working to attach an artificial beak to the disfigured bird, in an effort to keep her alive.

"For Beauty, it's like using only one chopstick to eat. It can't be done," said biologist Jane Fink Cantwell, who operates a raptor recovery center in this Idaho Panhandle town.

"She has trouble drinking. She can't preen her feathers. That's all about to change."

Cantwell has spent the past two years assembling a team to design and build an artificial beak. They plan to attach it to Beauty this month. With the beak, the 7-year-old bald eagle

Robotic squirrel helps decode animal behavior – CNN.com
Robotic squirrel helps decode animal behavior

 

  • Scientists at Hampshire college put robo-animals in nature for data collection
  • Robo-animals may give clues on communication, social and survival instincts
  • Robotic critters helping researchers observe animals in natural environments
  • Research may even help explain similar instinctive behaviors in humans

Vodafone to offer Apple's iPhone
Vodafone  to  offer  
Apple's  iPhone  in  
ten  markets

 Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network.

Take advantage of this exciting announcement and register your interest here

iTWire – iPhone carrier exclusivity officially gone
iPhone carrier exclusivity officially gone

  Vodafone's announcement said the carrier will be selling the iPhone in Australia, Italy and eight other nations.

One the same day Telecom Italia issued the following terse statement: "Telecom Italia announced today it has signed a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Italy later this year."

iTWire – Apple tops for tech support
Apple's "stellar" tech support topped the list in a recent survey conducted by a consumer group.

 Consumers Union's Consumer Reports analysed its subscribers' experiences with 10,000 desktop and notebook computers, and found overall tech support staff were only able to solve problems for 60 percent of respondents.

Apple did significantly better, providing solutions more than 80 percent of the time for both desktop and notebook models, and also received high scores for wait time and knowledgeability.

Respondents received especially good support from the Genius Bars in Apple Stores. They "provided the best troubleshooting by far, solving problems 90 percent of the time" and do not charge for the service unless repairs are required.

Apple – Final Cut Studio 2 – Final Cut Studio World Tour
Explore the world of Final Cut Studio 2 and Final Cut Server — including demos of real workflows used by leading production companies.

 

  • Learn about the key features of Final Cut Studio 2 and Final Cut Server
  • View demos featuring real-world projects from leading post-production houses, creative agencies, Hollywood film studios and broadcast television operations
  • See live demonstrations of Final Cut Server, including examples of how it works with Final Cut Studio
  • Visit our free Final Cut Solutions Pavilion, where you can talk to representatives of leading professional video companies and view demonstrations of solutions combining Final Cut Studio with third-party hardware and software.

Sydney
June 18 Register

iTWire – XP SP3 rollout begins in earnest
Windows XP Service Pack 3 is now available via Windows Update

 SP3 is essentially a roll-up of the many patches and other updates that have been released since SP2, but it does also deliver some new functionality.

These new functions are black hole router detection (the detection of routers that are silently discarding packets) and Network Access Protection policy enforcement.

Microsoft has warned that if Internet Explorer 7 is installed prior to SP3, it will not be possible to subsequently downgrade the browser to version 6. More importantly, the company strongly recommends uninstalling Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 before upgrading to SP3. The beta can be reinstalled after the service pack.

Common – DD-WRT :: Development News
DD-WRT for Ubiquiti devices

 MATT'S REVIEW

With DD-WRT v24 rapidly nearing completion we are proud to present support for all Ubiquiti devices (LS2, LS5, NS2, NS5, PS2, PS5) for the latest release candidate RC7. The associated firmware versions are part of the line of DD-WRT firmwares for professional use. Ubiquiti offers affordable yet powerful devices based on Atheros wireless technology and allows high performance long range Wireless LAN connections, especially when driven by DD-WRT. The upcoming DD-WRT v24 will also support channel mapping for Ubiquiti XR7, SR9, XR9, XR3 and XR4. And of course all other Ubiquiti WLAN cards (SR2, XR2, SR5, XR5, SRC) are also supported with showing the right txpower.

The latest binaries can be found in the downloads area. We did also create a support forum for handling firmware issues for Ubiquiti devices, where you can also find some benchmarks.

In addition we lowered now our License prices for our professional product like which affects Avila Gateworks,Compex,Senao, X86 and Ubiquiti devices. So take a look into our shop

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