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2005-08-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

[Rants] What Really Grinds My Gears/ Late-Night Infomercials
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ARRGGHHHH!

Here's what I hate -- strike that -- detest, about 'Late-Night Infomercials':
EVERYTHING!!!

Where to begin with this mindless, and boring-as-all-hell information we have grown to know as 'Late-Night Infomercials'.

Most people have been witness to at least one episode or show, usually a half-hour segment, where a sales person and a host (usual format) try to convince you that you need to buy their product or service above their competition, within the time remaning on their Infomercial.

First, there is the sales person, more times than not, it is a male. Then there is their trusty side-kick/host. One thing I have noticed in watching some of these 'Infomercials' is, how incredibly shitty their acting is -- worst acting known to man-kind! To top things off, this team (sales person and host) I swear operate off of one intellectually-bankrupt brain at the best of times. If their brain was a computer, they could easily be out-smarted by a Commodore Vic-20 running at 5% capacity.

The sales person nearly always has this 'man, I am so smart, I can hardly believe it' attitude, and uses this to set the mood of the half-hour Infomercial. Even when they are asked questions from the host (all pre-written, and in my opinion, the dumbest possible questions in the first place), they rattle off statistics and information that, to be honest, is the last thing you would think about (even if you did), before heading down to your local Wal-Mart or Best Buy, to purchase the same product.

"See, Nancy, the Ionic Breeze 3000 has a Patent-Pending Dibble Stick, allowing it to filter air quickly and efficiently, nearly 10% quicker than our competition's model". SAD, but the whole 30 minutes is totally wasted with statistical garbage, useless crap, and in many cases fake testimonials. Unless you really care about knowing if the Ionic Breeze 3000 has a 'back-up Foo-Foo valve cover', you are wasting precious time from your life that you can never get back.

Think the sales person is a lost cause, you have to hear what comes out of the jaws of the host. Miss. Information. Good God, some of these hosts (a good percentage of them are females) are so beyond stupid, you could yell into one of their ears and get a 2-minute echo (just like an empty warehouse; lights are on - barely - but nothing is in there). You might even mistaken the host as Rainman's twin sister. However, Rainman was far more intelligent compared to the general intellectual pool these women hail from. Usually after 5 minutes or so into the the Infomercial, you begin to see all what the host is about -- mentally nothing (yes folks, their brains are flatlining!)

"WOW Stan...I still can't believe that your new double-serated CL 1000 Knife will stay sharp even after cutting this tin can, piece of cardboard, and pineapple!"

Well 'no shit!' lady, it's a friggin' knife, they are supposed to be sharp when new, and believe it or not, this is what knives were invented for -- cutting! Dumb ass!

And don't get me started on the testimonials, as they are nearly all actors that couldn't cut it in the B-Movie sector, and in many other cases are fake or misleading information. Sometimes they get celebrities to give a testimonial, and even though some of them are famous actors/actresses or music stars, you just have to know they are getting paid a pretty penny to try and trump this product up.

I recently saw Sean P. Combs (scratch that), Puff Daddy (scratch that), P. Diddy (scratch that), now just known as Diddy, trying his best at a testimonial for an Acne cream. He comes across as a guy you see every Sunday in Church, but we all know his past with weapons. What I am getting at is this is the type of celebritiy endorsement this one product received. I can honestly say, without doubt, I would never, ever in a million years, buy anything Diddy supports in any way, shape or form -- even if it was given to me for free, with a $1,000 bill strategically slipped under it for good measure.

By the way, good luck Diddy, or whatever your name is now, although personally the Acne Cream you bought, and are trumping up, hasn't done anything for you -- your face still looks like the same it did a few years ago, like the surface of the moon!

I could go on with countless exapmles, products and services that are pawned off to the general public every friggin' night, but will let you see what I am ranting about. If you want a good laugh, then this is a show-format for you (at least to check out). Pay close attention to the sales person and the host, as they entertain you with their mindless, unmotivating, and useless style, trying to promote and sell products that, to be quite honest, I wouldn't buy if my life depended on it.

Also keep in mind if you are serious about purchasing a product or service via an Informercial, a good percentage of them turn out to be scams. At the bottom of this article I have a link to Justin Leonard's Infomercial Scams web site. A great read at any rate.

If you see a product on one of these shows and want it, simply go to your local Wal-Mart, get it for half the cost, talk to someone there that is actually passionate about what they are selling, and save that 30 minutes of your life.

Even if the sales person and host say it is a Special for TV, and you only have a few minutes remaining to act and purchase this product or service, don't believe them. Afterall, this sales team is a direct relation to people who sell products at 'fairs', but so much worse!

It is a known fact that nearly 95% of the crap that these mindless idiot-sticks pawn off to the general public as, 'a one-time purchase via the TV', can also be found in large corporate giant box stores like Wal-Mart, Revy, Target, Best Buy, Winners, et al. Another great source for trying to find this item and at a great deal, might be by going online, and checking out ebay!

Out of all the Late-Night Infomercials I have seen, only 2 stick out in my mind as a half-decent product -- thus 2 exceptions.

These are purely my educated opinions and views of this topic, and of course, I might be wrong.

If I have hurt someone's feelings... then, my friend, too bad that you can't take a joke! "Life sucks - Get a Helmut!"

Recommended Reading::::
infomercialscams.com

Recommended Online Source::::
ebay

S.D. Wodinsky, EBM (EDITOR)
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2005-05-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

[Humor] Jokes/ Tech Support
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Just when you think you are the worst person on the computer, our CSRs (Customer Service Representatives) at many leading call centers throughout the land, compile some of their own conversations with people who are so 'last century'!

I can tell you without a word of a lie, that the CSR's conversations with their respective members are really this unbelievable. I have worked for a fortune 100 company, and it was/is a known fact that the education level of the average member was/is that of a grade 3 student. Now, there are many smart people with not a lot of schooling behind them, but you mix this in with a dose of cyberphobia or people who just don't 'understand' computers/ technology, and you have quite the conversations. Please read on...

Help Desk: What kind of computer do you have?
Customer: A white one...
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Customer: Hi, this is Celine. I can't get my diskette out.
Help Desk: Have you tried pushing the button?
Customer: Yes, sure, it's really stuck.
Help Desk: That doesn't sound good; I'll make a note ..."
Customer: No ... wait a minute... I hadn't inserted it yet... it's still on my desk... sorry....
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Help Desk: Click on the 'my computer' icon on to the left of the screen.
Customer: Your left or my left?
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Help Desk: Good day. How may I help you?
Customer: Hello... I can't print.
Help Desk: Would you click on start for me and...
Customer: Listen pal; don't start getting technical on me! I'm not Bill Gates damn it!
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Customer: Hi good afternoon, this is Martha, I can't print. Every time I try it says 'Can't find printer'. I've even lifted the printer and placed it in front of the monitor, but the computer still says he can't find it...
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Customer: I have problems printing in red...
Help Desk: Do you have a color printer?
Customer: Aaaah....................thank you!.
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Help Desk: What's on your monitor now ma'am?
Customer: A teddy bear my boyfriend bought for me in the supermarket.
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Customer: My keyboard is not working anymore.
Help Desk: Are you sure it's plugged into the computer?
Customer: No. I can't get behind the computer.
Help Desk: Pick up your keyboard and walk 10 paces back.
Customer: OK.
Help Desk: Did the keyboard come with you?
Customer: Yes
Help Desk: That means the keyboard is not plugged in. Is there another keyboard?
Customer: Yes, there's another one here. Ah...that one does work!
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Help Desk: Your password is the small letter a as in apple, a capital letter V as in Victor, the number 7.
Customer: Is that 7 in capital letters?
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A customer couldn't get on the internet.
Help Desk: Are you sure you used the right password?
Customer: Yes I'm sure. I saw my colleague do it.
Help Desk: Can you tell me what the password was?
Customer: Five stars.
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Help Desk: What antivirus program do you use?
Customer: Netscape.
Help Desk: That's not an antivirus program.
Customer: Oh, sorry...Internet Explorer.
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Customer: I have a huge problem. A friend has placed a screensaver on my computer, but every time I move the mouse, it disappears!
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Help Desk: How may I help you?
Customer: I'm writing my first e-mail.
Help Desk: OK, and, what seems to be the problem?
Customer: Well, I have the letter 'a' in the address, but how do I get the circle around it
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S.D. Wodinsky, EBM (EDITOR)
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2005-04-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

[Humor] Jokes/ The New Boss
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A company, feeling it was time for a shake-up,hires a new CEO. This new boss is determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities,the CEO notices a guy leaning on a wall.

The room is full of workers and he wants to let them know he means business! The CEO walks up to the guy and asks," And how much money do you make a week?"

Undaunted, the young fellow looks at him and replies, "I make $300.00 a week.

Why?"

The CEO then hands the guy $300 in cash and screams, "Here's a week's pay, now GET OUT!, and don't come back!"

Feeling pretty good about his first firing, the CEO looks around the room and asks.....

"Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-off did here?" With a sheepish grin, one of the other workers mutters, "Pizza delivery guy from Domino's."

S.D. Wodinsky, EBM (EDITOR)
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2005-02-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

[Humor] Jokes/ Wrong eMail Address
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A lesson to be learned from one typing the wrong email address!

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.

Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on th floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: October 16, 2004

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here!

S.D. Wodinsky, EBM (EDITOR)
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2005-01-11T02:45:00.000-08:00

[Entertainment] Radio-Media/ LINKS
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Here is a wicked link to a complete list of all radio stations broadcasting in Canada:
CANADIAN Radio Stations

Here is a link to the best station in Holland & Germany (ID&T):
ID&T

Here is a link to the Ministry Of Sound (UK):
MINISTRY Of SOUND

Here is the official link to Billboard.com:
Billboard
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2004-12-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

[Business] Global Communications-Cellular/ U.N.: Mobile Phones Gaining Revenue
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Mobile phones are expected to generate greater revenue this year than traditional land lines with the nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America driving growth, a U.N. agency said Thursday.

Mobile phones, which account for 1.5 billion of the world's 2.7 billion telephone subscriptions, will achieve revenues of $480 million this year, compared with $450 million for land line phones, the International Telecommunication Union said in a report on global trends.

Just four years ago, fixed lines had revenues nearly double that of mobile networks, but mobile phones use — and revenues — has been growing rapidly. The growth is being driven by developing countries, where mobile phones are much cheaper to install than fixed lines. Global use of mobile phones overtook land-line phones about two years ago, according to the report.

"Virtually all the global growth in the telecoms service sector over the last decade has come from the mobile sector, broadband, and other data services," said Susan Schorr, one of the authors of the study.

"Taken together, the value of mobile and other non-voice services is now greater than that of the traditional fixed-line telephone service, which had been the mainstay of public telecommunication operators since the late 19th century," Schorr said.

The number of mobile-phone subscribers in developing countries has snowballed to 829 million, up from just 3 million a decade ago, the study found. Since 2000, four-fifths of all growth in mobile phone sales took place in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the former Soviet Union, where fixed lines are often inadequate or unavailable.

"The developing world is ... where most of the potential for future growth resides," Schorr said.

China, India, and Russia were cited by ITU as the countries leading the way in the mobile revolution. In China alone, an average of 5.5 million new mobile phone users sign up each month, according to its government. However, new Internet technologies, such as broadband, are still largely unavailable in many regions.

A commission meeting at the ITU this week of 85 national communications chiefs proposed a number of reforms for increasing Internet access throughout the world.

"Our job as regulators is to ensure that we are creating a climate that is conducive to these new technologies and allows these new technologies to deliver the products and services to our citizens," said Kathleen Abernathy, the Federal Communications Commissioner of the United States. She is chairing the ITU group.

Liberalizing markets, she argued, is necessary to "maximize the potential for everyone to benefit from all of these new technologies."

Some 690 million people have access to Internet today, but less than 40 percent of users come from the developing world, ITU said.

But the report said that broadband seems to be catching on in developing countries as well. In 2003, there were 11 million new subscribers in China, which is expected to overtake United States this year as the world's largest broadband market, Schorr said.

BRADLEY S. KLAPPER, (AP Writer - Geneva)
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2004-12-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

[Christmas] Gifts/ For Her, For Him
2 Fantastic Links!
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For Her:
Objets d'Envy
Objets d'Envy is a new line of luxe, glamorous, ultra-sparkly bracelets by graphic designer-turned-jewelry designer, Kirsten Goede. Goede's signature bracelets are made of Swarovski crystals and come in nine brilliant colors.
LINK

For Him:
Monkey Stick Box (aka: MSB)
Boxes are packaged in a manly-man fashion (in a crate, no ribbon, no girly stuff) and are named after famous explorers and contain cool-guy stuff like the Leatherman, Maglight, super hot sauce and other essentials. The Monkey Stick Box website explains it all, "We don't send flowers or herbal teas packed in plastic fire engines. You won't find neckties or bath stuff. Whether base-camp is home, the office or the Congo you can be sure it's what guys want.
LINK

Editor's note:
Also check out Lavalife's website (link provided here), you will not be disappointed.
Lavalife
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2004-12-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

[Business] Automotive/ DaimlerChrysler Recalls 600,000 Vehicles
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Bowing to pressure from federal safety regulators, DaimlerChrysler AG said Friday it is recalling 600,000 Dodge Durango SUVs and Dakota pickup trucks because of a defect that can cause their wheels to fall off.

The recall affects four-wheel drive vehicles from the 2000-2003 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended the recall after a 16-month investigation revealed that the vehicles' upper ball joints could fail. If that happens, the suspension can collapse and a wheel can fall off.

DaimlerChrysler also is extending the warranty to 10 years or 100,000 miles on the suspension upper ball joints on an additional 400,000 Durango front-wheel sport utility vehicles and Dakota front-wheel pickups from model years 2000 to 2003. NHTSA didn't request a recall of the front-wheel versions, but Daimler Chrysler wanted to include those customers by extending their warranties, Chrysler Group spokesman Max Gates said.

NHTSA announced a separate recall Friday of 2004 Durangos because a cable can short-circuit and cause a fire under the hood. There are 71,763 vehicles involved in that recall.

On Thursday, after word spread that NHTSA was requesting a recall, DaimlerChrysler acknowledged a problem with the ball joints but didn't believe it warranted a safety recall. DaimlerChrysler says there have been no reported injuries due to the defect that have been substantiated by the company. There also are no injuries due to ball joint failures listed in NHTSA's files.

Gates said owners would hear noises before a ball joint failed.

The automaker will repair vehicles for free starting next month. It costs between $750 and $1,200 to replace the ball joint, depending on the dealer and the area, according to a lawsuit filed against DaimlerChrysler by Durango owners in North Carolina. DaimlerChrysler said it will reimburse owners who already paid for the repair.

When NHTSA opened its investigation in July 2003, there were 28 complaints about upper ball joint failure and five reports of crashes. NHTSA spokeswoman Liz Neblett couldn't provide updated numbers Friday.

Some Dodge dealers were deluged with calls from worried Durango and Dakota owners Friday after news media reports of the problem. By afternoon, Ourisman Dodge in Alexandria, Va., had gotten 20 telephone calls, service manager Oscar Chavez said. Chavez said he was forwarding calls to DaimlerChrysler.

The frenzy over the Durango offered an unusual glimpse into the auto recall process. NHTSA often sends letters recommending a recall, but the letters aren't usually publicized. The agency then works with automakers to determine when the recall will take place.

In most cases, the recommendation is enough to spark a recall. The agency has taken automakers to court to force recalls only nine times in its 34-year history, Neblett said. The last court action that resulted in a recall was in 1979, when NHTSA forced Fiat to recall vehicles because of a rust problem.

DaimlerChrysler recalled the 2002-2003 Durango and Dakota pickups earlier this year because their windshield wipers were defective. That recall involved 320,188 vehicles.

While a recall of 600,000 vehicles is substantial, it's not the largest in the industry this year. In March, General Motors Corp. announced it was recalling nearly 4 million trucks because their tailgates could fall off.

DEE-ANN DURBIN, (AP Writer - Washington)
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2004-11-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

[Humor] Jokes/ New CPA Language...
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EBITDA = Earnings before I tricked the dumb auditor
EBIT = Earnings before irregularities and tampering
CEO = Chief embezzlement officer
CFO = Corporate fraud officer
AAV = Abnormal andersen valuation
EPS = Eventual prison sentence
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2004-11-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

[Law] Internet/ Cyber-Terrorism
Ex-CIA Chief Gates Warns on Cyber-Terror
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Cyber-Terrorism could be the most devastating weapon of mass destruction yet, and could cripple the U.S. economy, former CIA Director Robert Gates said at a terrorism conference Saturday.

Gates, who became Texas A&M University's president in 2002 about a decade after he left the CIA, cited as an example the "love bug" virus that overwhelmed computer systems around the world in 2000.

"When a teenage hacker in the Philippines overnight can wreak $10 billion in damage to the U.S. economy by implanting a virus, imagine what a sophisticated, well-funded effort to attack the computer base of our economy could accomplish," said Gates, addressing the two-day conference at Rice University. Even before 2000, the United States seemed an easy cyber-terrorism target, Gates said.

He said the CIA and National Security Agency conducted an exercise six years ago, assigning 50 computer specialists to see how hard it would be to shut down the nation's electric grid. It took only two days for the group to put itself in a position to do so, he said.

"All you have to do is look at what happened in the northeast when you had a tree fall on a line in rural Ohio," he said of a blackout that affected cities from Detroit to New York last year. "What I am talking about is bringing the U.S. economy to its knees."

The Internet is a prime target because the high-tech economy of the West can be seen as a threat in less-developed areas of the world, he said.

"We welcome rapid, even revolutionary change," he said. "For them, it is profoundly disturbing and even a desperate danger to their way of life."

Gates compared the war on terrorism to the Cold War and warned there is a long battle ahead.

"Terrorism is a global challenge that will take many forms and many years to defeat or contain," he said. "I think we can be certain that terrorists will hit America again." Terrorism has evolved in the years since Gates served as CIA director during the early 1990s, he said.

In the 1970s and 1980s, most terrorist groups were directed or sponsored by governments such as Iran, Iraq, Libya or Syria, he said. That made it easier to gather intelligence.

"Because they were trying to bring attention to a cause and to win support, they tended to limit the scale of their violence and the number of innocent lives they were prepared to take," he said. "This is obviously no longer the case."

Now terrorists are motivated by religion and are profoundly revolutionary, he said. "As loathsome as bin Laden and his henchmen are, there is a method to their madness," Gates said. "The primary reason bin Laden attacked the United States three years ago is that dislike and even hatred of the United States is the only point of agreement that cuts across religious, secular and national divisions throughout the Arab Middle East."

PAM EASTON (AP Writer - Houston, TX)
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2004-11-25T08:06:00.000-08:00

[Gaming] Consumerism-Law/ Group Cites Video Games for Violence, Sex
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Video games that have players shoot rival gang members, watch bare-breasted women and recreate the assassination of President Kennedy were criticized Tuesday by advocacy groups hat said, at the least, they should be kept away from children.

In issuing its annual report card on video games, the National Institute on Media and the Family urged the industry to educate parents better about ratings and asked retailers not to sell such games to younger teenagers.

"This segment of games keeps getting more realistic, and they keep pushing the envelope," David Walsh, the institute's president, said at a news conference. "The problem is that these games are the ones that are particularly popular with kids, particularly teenagers."

Another group of church and civic leaders, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, also urged video game makers to place tighter restrictions on the sale of violent video games to children, including having retailers place them in locations less accessible to children.

The video game trade association said its games carry appropriate ratings and recommended that parents police the activities of their children.

Among those listed as the worst games of the year was "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," a game in which the hero vows to avenge his mother's murder and restore glory to his neighborhood gang. Players rack up points by gunning down police, committing carjackings, burglarizing homes and dealing in other underworld activities.

The game debuted in October and instantly became the year's best seller, part of a series of "Grand Theft Auto" games that has sold more than $32 million over the past few years. The institute's list also includes "The Guy Game," which features video of women exposing their breasts.

Like others on the group's list, the games are rated "M" for mature, which means retailers are not supposed to sell them to people under 17. Walsh said some of the games should be rated "AO" or "adults only," which would limit purchase to those 18 and over. Many stores will not carry games with that rating.

The institute blamed game retailers for lax enforcement, citing a survey it conducted this year. The survey found that half of underage boys and 8 percent of girls who tried were allowed to buy M-rated games, the group said.

A trade group that represents game retailers said it is premature to criticize stores because they already are putting a new enforcement policy into place. The Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association has pledged to create tougher standards by December to forbid the sale of mature games to children.

Doug Lowenstein, president of Entertainment Software Association, said all the games on the institute's objectionable list are rated M, which he said shows the industry is doing its job.

"The reality is that most of the time when kids get these games, they get them from an adult or a parent, and that is a failure of parenting," Lowenstein said. He also cited a survey that showed that most parents agree with the rating system.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (news - web sites), D-Conn., credited the industry for creating many good games but said the small percentage of games with extremely violent or pornographic content is "worse than ever."

"The fact that the assassination of President Kennedy, which broke our hearts and altered our history, could become the subject of a video game from which people are making money is just outrageous, it is despicable, it's unbelievable," Lieberman said.

The "JFK Reloaded" game, released Monday to near universal condemnation, is available only by downloading from the Internet. Lowenstein said the game does not come from a mainstream company and agreed that its subject matter was inappropriate.

SAM HANANEL, (AP Writer - Washington)
BRUNO J. NAVARRO, (A P Writer - New York - Contributor)
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2004-11-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

[Business] Communications/ FCC: 8M Wireless Users Keep Cell Numbers
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Nearly 8 million mobile phone users have switched carriers and kept their cell numbers since a new rule allowing that flexibility went into effect one year ago, the Federal Communications Commission disclosed Tuesday.

Almost 750,000 more people have moved either a home or office phone number to a cell phone, the FCC told The Associated Press on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the agency's "number portability" order.

The agency planned to report on Wednesday that by the end of October, 8.5 million people had taken advantage of the rule which took effect in the nation's 100 biggest markets on Nov. 24, 2003. That includes 7.8 million who switched from one cell phone company to another.

The FCC also revealed that the pace picked up significantly when the rules were extended nationally to include smaller and rural markets in late spring, jumping from roughly 700,000 customer switches in March, April and May to more than 1 million in June and 950,000 in July.

The figures suggest that millions of cell phone users may have been frustrated with their cell phone service but were hesitant to switch providers because they didn't want to give up a phone number which was familiar to friends, business associates and family.

However, the tally is well short of many forecasts issued a year ago, some of which predicted that up to 30 million people might switch carriers in the first year.

None of the national carriers has disclosed specific numbers on customers gained or lost, but widespread reports throughout the industry have proclaimed Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. the biggest winners.

The biggest loser is believed to have been AT&T Wireless Services Inc., which was acquired last month by Cingular Wireless to form the nation's biggest cell phone company with 47.25 million subscribers.

Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC of Britain, has seen its subscriber base jump from about 36 million just before the new rule took effect to more than 42 million at the end of this past September.

T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG of Germany, added 4.2 million subscribers during the 12 months ended Sept. 30, growing from 12.1 million to 16.3 million.

It is unclear how many of the customers gained by Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile were first-time cell subscribers and how many defected from rivals.

By contrast, Redmond, Wash.-based AT&T Wireless stumbled badly as the new rule went into effect. The carrier was unable to activate new customers for weeks in November 2003 due to serious glitches with a computer upgrade which was meant to beef up customer services and sales efforts in time for portability.

The FCC tally of wireline-to-wireless number switches was 732,000 at the end of October.

The new rules also saw a limited number of people go the other way with a treasured phone number: About 9,000 cell phone numbers were switched to a wired phone line in a home or office.

BRUCE MEYERSON, (AP Business Writer - New York)
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2004-11-20T01:51:00.000-08:00

[Science] Research/ Brain Area Found to Be Smaller in Cocaine Addicts
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A part of the brain involved in both drug craving and judgment appears to be smaller in cocaine addicts than in healthy people, researchers have found.

Analyzing brain scans from 27 people addicted to cocaine and 27 healthy adults of the same age, the researchers found that in the drug abusers, a brain structure called the amygdala was smaller than normal.

Exactly what the finding means is not yet clear, but several pieces of evidence suggest that reduced volume in the amygdala may predispose a person to cocaine addiction, the study's senior author told Reuters Health.

The amygdala is a collection of nuclei in the brain involved in the processing of emotion. Brain-imaging studies have tied drug craving to activity in the amygdala, and recent research has also suggested that the brain structure aids in sizing up the potential negative outcomes of an action.

It's such judgment that people with drug addiction typically lack, Dr. Hans C. Breiter of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston noted in an interview with Reuters Health.

His team's study, published in the November 18th issue of the journal Neuron, cannot answer the question of whether smaller amygdala volume is a contributor to or consequence of cocaine addiction, Breiter said.

However, he pointed to evidence that supports a causal role. For example, amygdala volume did not correspond with the level of a person's drug abuse; cocaine users in the study had abused the drug for anywhere from one to 27 years, yet had similar reductions in amygdala size.

In addition, Breiter explained, during normal development, the right-hemisphere amygdala becomes larger than the left. However, in these cocaine addicts, he said, "there was a loss of this asymmetry."

It seems unlikely, the researcher noted, that drug abuse would have affected only one side of the brain in these individuals. Instead, he said, such a loss of asymmetry in the amygdala would seem to have genetic underpinnings.

But if a reduction in amygdala volume is involved in cocaine addiction, the implications would be great regardless of whether it's a cause or effect, according to Breiter.

If even short-term cocaine abuse can cause such "dramatic" degenerative change in the brain, he said, that would highlight a prime danger of the drug.

On the other hand, if smaller amygdala volume raises a person's vulnerability to cocaine addiction, then it offers a potential way to reveal that risk. According to Breiter, it might become possible for people with a family history of any forms of addiction to get a brain scan of the amygdala to see if they have this structural predisposition.

The fact that the amygdala appears to be involved in judging the potential pitfalls of an action may help explain how an abnormality in its structure could make a person susceptible to cocaine addiction, according to Breiter.

However, there is also the amygdala's role in drug craving. An interesting finding, Breiter noted, was that "the smaller the amygdala was, the more they craved for cocaine."

Whether the findings are unique to cocaine is not yet clear. The study is part of a larger project by Breiter and his colleagues that is using advanced brain imaging to find potentially inherited "markers" in the brain -- such as differences in structure or nerve activity -- that are associated with addiction and mood disorders such as depression.

Amy Norton (Reuters-New York & Neuron)
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2004-11-20T01:45:00.000-08:00

[Entertainment] News/ Actor Jim Carrey Says He's Drug-Free
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Living a life free of Prozac, drugs and alcohol has helped comedian Jim Carrey deal with depression, he told the CBS program "60 Minutes." In an interview scheduled to air Sunday, Carrey said he took Prozac for a long time but it didn't cure his depression.

"I had to get off at a certain point because I realized that ... everything is just OK," Carrey said in an interview with "60 Minutes" reporter Steve Kroft at his home in Brentwood, parts of which aired Friday on KCBS-TV.

"There are peaks, there are valleys, but they're all kind of carved and smoothed out ... It feels like a low level of despair you live in where you're not getting any answers but you're living OK and you can smile at the office."

Carrey said he is living without the perks from drugs and alcohol.

"I rarely drink coffee. I am very serious about no alcohol, no drugs," he said. "Life is too beautiful."

Carrey's film credits include "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Dumb & Dumber", "The Mask" and "The Truman Show."

AP (LOS ANGELES)
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2004-11-20T01:29:00.000-08:00

[Technology] Home-Lifestyle/ LINKS
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Follow this fantastic link. Find out everything there is to know (and more) about turning your house into a hi-tech zone that would make both Jobs and Gates drool like Pavlov's dog.

DIGITAL HOME - Ultimate Entertainment Technology
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2004-11-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

[NEWS] eMAIL/ Write Us @ CTRL-X
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We are pleased to inform you that CTRL-X now has an eMail address up and running. Write us, we want to hear from you. If you have questions (about the publication CTRL-X, or a computer / device related one), comments and concerns, or topics for a column, just drop us a line. Without further delay, here is the new address:

ctrl-x@madrid.com

Thank you again heavily for making CTRL-X your number 1 go-to-site for the latest information on everything that is associated with Technology, Computers & Portable Devices, Gaming, Jokes, Law (Internet and Global), Economics, Sports, Medicine, Music, Video, and so much more.

Sincerely,
The Crew @ CTRL-X
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2004-11-19T01:44:00.000-08:00

[Gaming] Portables/ REVIEW: Nintendo DS a Sleek Powerhouse
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The last time Nintendo Co. tried two screens, the result was a head-splitting virtual reality goggle called Virtual Boy that quickly flopped in the mid-1990s.

The failure was a rare one for Nintendo, which now dominates the worldwide handheld game market with its $79, flip screen Game Boy Advance SP. Nintendo needn't worry about repeating past blunders with its latest dual display device, the Nintendo DS. The $149.99 handheld, which goes on sale in the United States on November 21, 2004, is a sleek powerhouse that's great for multi-player gaming.

It's a completely new product from the Japanese company and a clean break from the norm. Visually, the DS is a retro-styled, wedge-shaped rectangle of silver and black plastic that's roughly double the width of its squarish SP cousin.

Like a miniature laptop computer, the DS lid flips open to reveal the signature dual screens. Having two 3-inch, color liquid crystal screens (one on the lid, one below) would be nothing more than a gimmick — were it not for the fact that the bottom screen is also touch sensitive.

That and the short-range wireless feature creates many new gameplay possibilities. There are two programs that are packaged with the DS.

"Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt" was a short but impressive demo that takes full advantage of the touch screen. While the upper screen showed three-dimensional battles with aliens, the touch screen doubled as a map and an input system which I tapped to jump, look around and switch weapons.

This control scheme was nearly impossible with the toothpick-sized stylus, but it was very intuitive with the included wrist strap.

The end of the strap has a rounded plastic nub that you tighten around the tip of your thumb. It keeps the screen from getting smudged by your fingers and is much easier to use in tandem with the DS' 10 buttons.

The pre-loaded "PictoChat" program, meanwhile, has limited instant-messaging capabilities.

After choosing from one of four chat rooms, you can zap your doodles and short notes to as many as 15 others within a 100-foot radius using Nintendo's proprietary communication protocol.

It's neat at first, but I wonder how often I'd really use PictoChat since you can only chat with other DS users and there's no way to save the notes. And with such a limited range, wouldn't talking just be easier?

I managed 7 1/2 hours of battery life on a single charge, playing graphics-intensive games, blasting the music through the stereo speakers and connecting online with another DS.

Games ultimately decide which systems succeed and which ones fail, and Nintendo promises up to 15 titles when the DS launches, including "Super Mario 64 DS," "Ridge Racer DS," and a version of "Spider-Man 2."

As the owner of dozens of games for the older Game Boy Advance, I was pleased to find that the DS can play some 550 titles for the older system.

I played a few recent GBA favorites, including "Astro Boy: Omega Factor," and they looked superb thanks to the DS' backlit display. The Game Boy screens are lit from the side and never had this level of rich visual fidelity. You can even select which screen you want to play on.

I did have some problems with the viewing angle of the screens. Unless they were perfectly aligned, it was often hard to see both clearly.

The included plastic stylus was too puny for my adult hands. And when you want to quit a game or program, you have to turn the DS off and on again to restart.

Another potential problem? Size. Weighing 10 ounces and roughly 6 inches long by 3 inches deep by 1 inch thick, it's fine to stash in a backpack or purse but too bulky for a shirt or pants pocket.

"PictoChat" aside, the DS is strictly games, sporting minimal extras such as a calendar, alarm clock and personal birthday reminder.

It has a built-in microphone and Wi-Fi, but no games take advantage of those features yet.

For about $190, Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable promises a more robust portable media experience when it goes on sale in Japan next month. Along with games rivaling the power of its PlayStation 2 home system, the PSP boasts wireless functions and the ability to play music and movies.

But here's the huge kicker — Sony hasn't even announced pricing or availability in the United States yet, so there's no telling how long we'll have to wait.

And even when it does come out, the DS will remain the only game system with two screens and touch sensitivity.

The DS is a quirky but welcome step forward in the interactive evolution of video game systems. Now it's up to game creators to take advantage of its unique qualities. ld extra cars.

MATT SLAGLE, (Dallas - AP Technology Writer)
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2004-11-19T01:26:00.000-08:00

[Business-Sports] Auto Racing/ Jaguar Taken Over by Red Bull
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Jaguar will race next season in Formula One after being taken over by Red Bull on Monday.

Jaguar's parent company, Ford, said on Sept. 17 it couldn't afford to be part of Formula One. Ford had until noon Eastern time Monday to conclude negotiations with potential buyers and enter the 2005 championship or close the England-based team.

Red Bull said it would stick with engines made by Jaguar's Cosworth engines subsidiary for next season.

"We are really looking forward to our first Formula One season with Jaguar," Red Bull GmbH said in a statement. "This step is a provisional summit of our 10-year involvement in motorsport."

Red Bull, a drinks company based in Austria, has sponsored F1 team Sauber and also been involved with young drivers such as Enrique Bernoldi and Christian Klien.

Red Bull's takeover means there will be 10 teams on the grid next season. If the grid had been cut to nine, the remaining teams would have had to field extra cars.
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2004-11-19T01:24:00.000-08:00

[Business] Music/ 'Indie' Record Labels Say Big Firms Stifle Industry
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When the curtain goes up on MTV's Europe Awards in Rome on Thursday, only one of 11 performers will be signed to an independent record label. And at European pop music's annual showcase event, the majority of acts will be from the United States.

The independent record industry says the business has been taken over by four mega-companies that are helping to entrench American cultural "hegemony" across the music world.

"The record business is stacked in favor of the big company and, more crucially, in favor of American artists," said Lohan Presencer, managing director of Ministry of Sound Recordings, an independent label specialising in dance music.

Looking at the newly-released British charts in his London offices this week, the first independent label record on the albums chart came in at number 31. In terms of airplay on British radio, the first independent act was at number 17.

Presencer and others say the main problem for smaller record companies, seen as crucial to launching experimental artists, is getting access to shelf space in major retailers, to airwaves and television screens.

"The majors have such a grip that if they wanted to, they could really block us getting on to the radio and media and into retailers," said Harry Martin of Domino Records, which has hit Scottish band Franz Ferdinand on its books. The band is the single independent act to be playing at MTV's main show in Rome.

The Association of Independent Music (AIM) says the situation for small labels worsened after the merger between Japan's Sony Corp. and Germany's Bertelsmann was approved this year, reducing the number of majors to four.

Between them, Sony BMG, Vivendi's Universal Music, EMI Group and Warner Music account for three of every four records sold worldwide, according to industry figures.

"MINNOW AGAINST GIANT"

Independent European labels plan to appeal a decision by antitrust regulators allowing the merger.

"The consolidation of the industry is not a good servant of choice and access," said AIM head Alison Wenham. "Access through market power has become the biggest obstacle to the independent labels."

Record giants counter that there is room for everyone. "The reality is that when they have the right music and artists, independent labels are able to be as successful as anyone," said a spokesman for Universal Music International. But majors admit life has got harder for the "indies."

"In the last 10 to 15 years the mid-sized indies have found it harder to prosper," said an executive at a major company who asked not to be named. "Largely it is to do with the cost of doing business in the music industry."

Independent labels say they cannot go global with an act unless they are in partnership with one of the big four. "The majors and the independents can work together, and I think they need each other," said Domino's Martin. The smaller players are also looking to tap the growing internet download market, but complain that major services such as iTunes, owned by Apple Computers, are ignoring them.

"I am a minnow negotiating with a giant," said Presencer. "It has not been a priority with those companies to get the independents. Potentially the new technology will give us more of a voice, but we still need to be able to market those acts."

Mike Collett-White (LONDON, Reuters)
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2004-11-19T01:05:00.000-08:00

[Humor] Jokes/ DAILY 10+1 Geek Pick-Up Lines
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1. If you won't let me buy you a drink, at least let me fix your laptop.
2. Want to see my Red Hat?
3. Is that an iPod mini in your pocket or are you just happy to see me.
4. I can tell by your emoticons that you're looking for some company.
5. My 'up-time' is better than BSD.
6. You must be Windows 95 because you gots me so unstable.
7. What's a nice girl like you doing in a wretched hive of scum and villany like this?
8. Your name is Leslie? Look, I can spell your name on my calculator!
9. They don't call me Bones because I'm a doctor.
10. If you turn me down now, I will become more drunk than you can possibly imagine.
and...
11. Tell me of this thing you humans call *dramatic pause* love.
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2004-11-18T01:54:00.000-08:00

[Humor] Jokes/ Golfers
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The Englishman's wife steps up to the tee and, as she bends over to place her ball, a gust of wind blows her skirt up and reveals her lack of underwear. "Good God, woman! Why aren't you wearing any knickers?" her husband demanded. "Well, you don't give me enough housekeeping money to afford any." The Englishman immediately reaches into his pocket and says, "For the sake of decency, here's $50. Go and buy yourself some underwear."

Next, the Irishman's wife bends over to set her ball on the tee. Her skirt also blows up to show that she is wearing no undies. "Blessed Virgin Mary, woman! You've no knickers. Why not?" She replies, "I can't afford any on the money you give me." He reaches into his pocket and says, "For the sake of decency, here's $20. Go and buy yourself some underwear!"

Lastly, the Scotsman's wife bends over. The wind also takes her skirt over her head to reveal that she, too, is naked under it. "Sweet mudder of Jesus, Aggie! Where the frig are yer drawers?" She too explains, "You dinna give me enough money ta be able ta affarrd any." The Scotsman reaches into his pocket and says, "Well, fer the love 'o Jasus, 'n the sake of decency, here's a comb. Tidy yerself up a bit."
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2004-11-18T01:23:00.000-08:00

[Business] Technology - Company/ SBC & Microsoft Ink $400M Internet TV Deal
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SBC Communications Inc. will use a Microsoft Corp. software system to transmit television over high-speed Internet connections like the ones SBC will offer after replacing the local arteries of its copper telephone network with fiber-optic cables.

The deal announced Tuesday, valued at about $400 million over 10 years, is a big win for Microsoft, which has been struggling to gain a foothold in the television technology market for years.

The selection of Microsoft's platform for delivering TV using "IP" or Internet Protocol technology is the latest in a monthlong barrage of announcements by SBC detailing its foray into fiber and television.

The initial phase of the plan to replace copper cables with fiber is slated to cost $4 billion and make IP-based TV and speedier Internet access available to 18 million of SBC's customers by the end of 2007.

San Antonio-based SBC, the nation's second biggest phone company, has said at least some of those customers will be offered IP-TV by late next year.

The TV service would include conveniences similar to cable, including video on demand, picture-in-picture viewing and digital video recording, as well as new features such as Caller ID and instant messaging on the TV screen or alerts when desired programs are about to air.

"Our service will change the way people experience TV," said Edward Whitacre Jr., SBC's chairman and chief executive. "Finally, customers will watch what they want when they want from a virtually unlimited and interactive content selection."

While Verizon Communications Inc. will gain far more capacity with its costly plan to replace all the copper in its network, SBC says it will optimize bandwidth by not broadcasting all programming to all customers at once. Rather, it would only transmit content that a viewer desires at that time.

The Internet TV offering will be built on Microsoft's Internet Protocol Television software platform.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, called it "a virtually unlimited opportunity for innovative, cross-device services and entertainment experiences."

The sale is an important one for Microsoft, which has devoted substantial resources to extending its role in the computer world into the TV-watching experience.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker has invested in cable companies and developed technology for set-top boxes among other initiatives, but largely failed to gain a foothold in the still nascent market.
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AP (SAN ANTONIO)

2004-11-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

[Music] Dance/ DJ FERRY CORSTEN
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The Dutch harbor city Rotterdam was Ferry Corsten’s (aka: System F) playground when growing up, and the city still is his current base of operations. Being a full-time producer since 1991, Corsten has developed into a true prodigy of the international dance scene.

After initially producing some hardcore gabber tracks, Corsten became more interested in club, house, and trance (sub-genrés of electronica / dance). In 1996 Corsten achieved a position in the U.K. single chart at #46 with ‘Don’t be Afraid’ by Moonman, his first major and European breakthrough as a solo dance Artist, producer & composer.

In 1997 Corsten and Robert Smit established the Tsunami dance label together with the Dutch based dance company, Purple Eye Entertainment b.v.

This collaboration would prove to be an almost instant success and resulted in the creation of one of the most influential dance labels around today. These three parties have set up in the meantime another label, Polar State.

In February 1999, Corsten’s second solo project, System F was released on the Tsunami label. The title ‘Out Of The Blue’ is a melodic and powerful twister, and turned out to be one of the biggest trance tracks of 1999, achieved a top twenty position in the U.K. single chart, and put Corsten on the world-wide dance map permanently. The follow up single "Cry" (produced together with Robert Smit), was again a UK top 20 single hit.

Other projects by Corsten are: " I'm In Love" by Starparty (produced together with Robert Smit), "Carte Blanche" by Veracocha (produced together with Vincent de Moor), and in May 1999 the title "Gouryella" by the act Gouryella was released, an Artist-project Corsten produces together with the famous Dutch DJ Tiësto.

The first single "Gouryella" entered the U.K. Singles Top 75 at #15 and achieved various hit positions throughout the world. The follow up single of "Gouryella", entitled "Walhalla" entered the UK single chart at #27 and was successfully released world-wide as well. In September, 2000, the 3rd Gouryella single entitled "Tenshi" was released world-wide. Corsten also remixed William Orbit’s "Adagio for Strings" as well as "New Yearsday" for U2.

Next to his producing activities Corsten is a renowned international DJ, spinning in front of record crowds at the hotest locations in the world. The Ministry of Sound dance compilation series entitled Trance Nation mixed by Ferry Corsten / System F is one of the best selling dance compilations in the UK, and has been awarded the platinum status. Trance Nation 4 is already in the planning. Corsten releases his 3rd System F album in 2000.

In October of 1999, Corsten had been elected as 'Producer of the Year' during the Ericsson Muzik award in London, leaving fellow-nominees like Puff Daddy and Rodney Jerkins behind. In May 2000 he was awarded 'Best Remix' for "Barber's Adagio For Strings"' at the Dancestar 2000 awards. In Holland, he received the prestigious 'Silver Harp' award, due to his contributions to the Dutch dance music.

Corsten currently has a new-release out: "Euphoria: Infinite Mixed", featuring 36 fantaastic songs.

More information on DJ Ferry Corsten:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

Compiled by: DJ Ira Kéde
For: NRG1 Records [CDN/NL/UK]
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2004-11-17T01:58:00.000-08:00

[Humor] Jokes/ DAILY 10
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• 1 •
The Seven Dwarves were on a bus, they started to feel Sleepy, so he got off.

• 2 •
Q: Which Search Engine does Arnold Schwarzenegger use?
A: Alta Vista baby.

• 3 •
Q: What do Britney Spears and Pepsi have in common?
A: They both come with plastic jugs.

• 4 •
Mary had a little sheep, with this sheep she went to sleep. The sheep turned out to be a ram, and Mary had a little lamb.

• 5 •
Q: What do you call a lawyer who doesn't know the law?
A: A judge.

• 6 •
Q: What's the difference between a female lawyer and a pitbull?
A: Lipstick.

• 7 •
Q: What's the capital of Afghanistan?
A: KABOOM!

• 8 •
A guy walks into a psychiatrist's office wearing only saran wrap. The guy askes the doctor, ''what do you think is wrong with me?'' The doctor replied,''I can clearly see you're nuts.''

• 9 •
Q. Why didn't Hitler drink tequila?
A. Cause it made him mean.

• 1 0 •
A guy is on a date with this girl, so he takes her to Lover's Lane. When they get up there, she says, ''I have to be honest with you, I'm a hooker.'' The guy thinks about this for a short time and says it's okay. He agrees to pay her $25 and they start having sex. After they finish, the guy says, ''I have to be honest with you now. I'm a cab driver and it'll cost you $25 for me to drive you back into town.''
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2004-11-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

[Sports] NHL/ Forbes magazine says NHL didn't lose nearly as much as stated the last two years!

NEW YORK (AP)
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The NHL suffered less than half the losses it has claimed the past two years, according to a report in Forbes Magazine.

In an article in its Nov. 29 edition, the business magazine -- which did not have access to all of the 30 teams' financial records -- estimates the NHL lost a combined $96 million last season, not $224 million as reported by the league.

For the 2002-03 season, in which the NHL stated losses of $273 million, Forbes estimates they were actually about $123 million.

The discrepancy occurred because several NHL teams aren't accounting for all their revenue, Forbes reported. The magazine said the NHL included only half of the $17 million the New York Islanders got last year for cable broadcasts, for example.

William Wirtz, who owns the Chicago Blackhawks, also owns half of the United Center, where the team plays. Forbes said that the arena's 212 suites pulled in $15 million last season, money that wasn't included in the league's numbers. The United Center is a separate corporate entity from the Blackhawks, the magazine reported.

"The Forbes article is factually inaccurate in numerous respects and is not based on any of the actual information that would be needed to support its claims," Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer, told The Canadian Press on Friday. "It is nothing short of irresponsible journalism."

The great losses are why the NHL is shut down now by a lockout, imposed by commissioner Gary Bettman in September following the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement with the players association. Through Friday, 200 regular-season games and the All-Star game were called off.

Bettman has vowed to get "cost certainty" for clubs, a term the NHLPA says is tantamount to a salary cap and a solution it refuses to accept. The players association countered with a luxury-tax proposal, but that was rejected by the league during the previous negotiating session on Sept. 9.

"Forbes' report and conclusions on NHL finances make it very clear the NHL should be negotiating off of our proposals rather than shutting down the game to try to get a salary cap system," Ted Saskin, the NHLPA senior director, said in a statement. The NHL stands by its numbers, pointing to the league-commissioned audit by former Securities & Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt. Levitt's study found NHL clubs lost $273 million in 2002-03.

Forbes says it spoke with bankers, broadcast sources and league sources while studying arena leases, ticket sales and prices.

"Forbes is a highly respected publication by everyone in business, including NHL owners and their investment bankers who use Forbes' analysis and valuations when they buy and sell teams," Saskin said. "The independence and the integrity of Forbes is unquestionable."

The NHLPA has long maintained that it believed the league was exaggerating its losses, which is a big reason collective bargaining has ceased. The lockout is in its eighth week with no meetings
scheduled.

"It is no surprise that Forbes found the NHL has vastly overstated its losses by not including all of the revenues earned by NHL teams," Saskin said. "We agree with Forbes' conclusion that the NHL should show more transparency and disclose all of an owners' sources of revenue in their financial reporting. We have been saying the same thing for many years."
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2004-11-16T01:42:00.000-08:00

[Business] Stock Markets/ Stocks Close Higher on Lower Oil Prices

MEG RICHARDS, AP Business Writer (NEW YORK)
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Stocks were mixed in quiet trading Monday, with blue chip and tech shares rising only modestly despite lower oil prices and several mergers and acquisitions, including Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.'s $1.5 billion bid for several candy brands from Kraft Foods Inc.

The pullback in energy prices and pickup in M&A activity were encouraging to analysts, who were not distressed by the day's lackluster trading. After three solid weeks of gains, and in the absence of any new economic data, it's natural for investors to take a step back.

"People are trying to figure out what's next for the market," said Dean Junkans, chief investment officer for Wells Fargo Private Client Services. "We've had a nice run, post-election ... I think people are looking for that year-end rally, and wondering whether we've already gotten a bunch of it of if we've got more to run. I think we've got more to run."

The Dow Jones industrial average finished up 11.23, or 0.11 percent, at 10,550.24, after a gain of 1.46 percent last week.

The broader gauges were narrowly mixed. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 0.36, or 0.03 percent, at 1,183.81, following a 1.54 percent rise. The Nasdaq composite added 8.75, or 0.42 percent, to 2,094.09, after a weekly gain of 2.28 percent.

Oil prices dropped, continuing a three-week trend that has taken crude futures down from their record $55-per-barrel level. Light, sweet crude for December delivery shed 52 cents to $46.87 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Investors were also weighing the resignations of four members of President Bush's cabinet following the election, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Including the latest resignations, six members of the president's 15-member Cabinet have announced plans to step down for his second term.

The day's news seemed to have little impact on trading, as institutional investors focused on technical levels after equities jumped 8 percent over the last three weeks. Still analysts noted that the market is entering a seasonally strong period, which may help keep stocks aloft through the end of the year.

"We're due to kind of settle in on a short-term basis," said Steven Goldman, chief market strategist at Weeden & Co. in Greenwich, Conn. "Three weeks ago we were at the lower end of the move over the past year and now we're at the upper end. So we've completed the lows to the highs in a matter of three weeks. But historically it's a lot easier to get a market going this time of year."

General Electric Co. fell 15 cents to $36.10 after announcing plans to buy SPX Corp.'s Edwards Systems Technology fire-and-security unit for nearly $1.4 billion in an all-cash deal, both companies said Monday. SPX Corp. rose $1.22, or 2.8 percent, to $44.21, on the news.

Wrigley added 72 cents to $68.08 after the candy and gum maker announced an agreement to buy several brands, including Life Savers and Altoids, from Kraft for $1.48 billion. Kraft declined 20 cents to $34.68.

Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, added 10 cents to $45.10 after announcing plans to buy MarketWatch Inc. for about $519 million in a deal that would end a monthlong bidding war for the online financial news and information provider. MarketWatch, which operates two Web sites, CBS.MarketWatch.com and BigCharts.com, closed up $1.33, or 7.9 percent, at $18.12.

Lowe's Cos. Inc. was down $1.00, or 1.7 percent, at $59.25, despite reporting a 15.5 percent rise in third-quarter earnings, beating Wall Street expectations by 6 cents a share. The nation's second-largest home improvement chain also reiterated its forecast, which may have disappointed investors who were expecting a boost.

Microsoft Corp. was up 42 cents at $27.39 as Wall Street adjusted its price to reflect the company's special $3 dividend, payable Dec. 3. While the stock has gone up since the dividend was announced in July, the company still faces questions about profit growth and a dearth of large software launches in the coming year.

Declining shares slightly outnumbered advancers on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated
volume came to 1.91 billion shares, compared with 2 billion shares on Friday.

The Russell 2000 index, which tracks smaller company stocks, was up 1.88, or 0.30 percent, at 623.86.

Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average surged 1.88 percent. In Europe, France's CAC-40 lost 0.37 percent, Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.19 percent and Germany's DAX index declined 0.22 percent.
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2004-11-16T01:18:00.000-08:00

[Gaming] Xbox/ Microsoft Cracks Down on Xbox Changes

ALLISON LINN, AP Business Writer (SEATTLE )
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In the days before Microsoft Corp. released the hotly anticipated Halo 2 video game for the Xbox game console, some gamers noticed a sudden spike in the number of people being kicked off the company's online game service. That was no coincidence.

With Halo 2 expected to entice a new batch of users to the Xbox Live online gaming community, Microsoft says it got tougher with people suspected of making unauthorized modifications to their Xboxes.

Gamers who modify Xboxes usually do so either to be able to cheat on games or use pirated copies, although some also have made changes so they can use the Xbox for other functions, from running Linux to playing music.

Cameron Ferroni, general manager of the Xbox software platform, says Microsoft is not interested in suing individual users. But the company does want to banish scofflaws from its online service, Xbox Live.

It's hard to know how many of Microsoft's 15.5 million Xbox users have modified their game consoles, although the percentage is believed to be small.

Microsoft has a unique glimpse into the approximately 1 million Xbox Live users' computers because, by virtue of signing up for the service, users agree to let Microsoft gather certain information from their machines.

Ferroni declined to go into specifics on how the company can check Xbox Live users' machines for suspected modifications. He said Microsoft has no way of checking whether players who don't use Xbox Live have modified their machines.

Neil Smith, an intellectual property lawyer with Howard Rice in San Francisco, said there's little legal risk in modifying a game system for relatively benign personal use, such as making players invulnerable.

But it is important to Microsoft to prevent such cheating on Xbox Live, where multiple players can take part in games. Ferroni said the goal is to make sure there's a level playing field.

Smith, who has represented several video game companies, said users face greater legal risk — and companies have more leverage — if a person is modifying the system to play pirated or other unauthorized games. That's especially true if the person is altering their system's security codes or settings.

Microsoft says it has focused its legal efforts on those it believes are manufacturing pirated games or mass-producing Xbox modifications.

Smith said the legality of modifying other people's technology remains hazy. Other technology companies have grappled with how much can be done to their systems without their consent.

Earlier this year, Seattle-based RealNetworks caused a stir when it said it had developed software that allows songs purchased from its online music store to transfer to Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod by skirting internal copy protections.

Apple, which has closely guarded control of its music player, responded by accusing RealNetworks of adopting "the tactics and ethics of a hacker."

Other video game consoles don't seem to face as much tinkering for the sake of piracy as the Xbox, said PJ McNealy, an analyst with American Technology Research.

Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 doesn't have as complex antipiracy measures, he said, and Nintendo Co.'s cartridge-based games are much more difficult to pirate than the CDs that Microsoft and Sony use.

Analyst Rob Enderle said Microsoft's Xbox is also much more vulnerable to tinkering because its popular built-in hard drive more closely mimics a regular personal computer, whereas the other systems rely on less familiar technology.

"The very thing that made the Xbox a rapid success is also what made it easy to hack," Enderle said.

McNealy thinks Microsoft is right to go after those who are playing pirated games, but he thinks Microsoft might be flattered by some of the other homemade tweaks.

"To modify it to the umpteenth degree is simply a byproduct of the geek culture of the hardcore gamer," McNealy said. "It should be good news for Microsoft that there's that much demand (for Xbox) that people want to spend so much time figuring that stuff out."
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2004-11-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

[Law] Internet/ Deleting Online Extortion

Joseph Menn Los Angeles Times
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To an old-time bookie like Mickey Richardson, $500 in protection money was chump change. So when he got an e-mail from gangsters threatening to bring his online sports betting operation to its knees, he paid up. Before long, though, the thugs wanted $40,000. And that ticked him off.

"I'm stubborn," said Richardson, who runs Costa Rica-based BetCRIS.com. "I wanted to be the guy that says, 'I didn't pay, and I beat them.' " Richardson couldn't figure the odds, but he was determined to fight what's fast becoming the scourge of Internet-based businesses: high-tech protection rackets in which gangs of computer hackers choke off traffic to websites whose operators refuse their demands.

Rather than brass knuckles and baseball bats, the weapons of choice for these digital extortionists are thousands of computers. They use them to launch coordinated attacks that knock targeted websites off-line for days, or even weeks, at a time.

The shakedowns generate millions of dollars. Many Internet operators would rather pay protection money than risk even greater losses if their websites go down. After more than a year perfecting their techniques on gambling and pornographic websites, the gangs are starting to turn their talents to mainstream e-commerce operations.

"It's pretty much a daily occurrence that one of our customers is under attack, and the sophistication of the attacks is getting better," said Ken Silva, a vice president at VeriSign Inc., the company that maintains the ".com" and ".net" domain name servers and provides security to many firms.

• Last month, Authorize.net, one of the biggest credit-card-services processors for online merchants, was hit repeatedly over two weeks, leaving thousands of businesses without a means to charge their customers.

• In April, hackers silenced Card Solutions International, a Kentucky company that sells credit card software over the Web, for a week after its owner refused to pay $10,000 to a group of Latvians. Only after switching Internet service providers could the company come back online.

• In August, a Massachusetts businessman was indicted on charges of orchestrating attacks on three television-services companies — costing one more than $200,000. The case against Saad Echouafni is one of the rare instances in which alleged attackers have been identified and charged. Echouafni skipped bail.

Many more attacks go unreported. "You're just seeing the tip of the iceberg," said Peter Rendall, chief executive of the Internet filter maker Top Layer Networks.

Richardson was intent on keeping his ship afloat.

BetCRIS, short for Bet Costa Rica International Sportsbook, takes about $2 billion in bets every year from gamblers around the world. Most are placed online. After customers complained early last year that the website seemed sluggish, Richardson felt a little relieved when an anonymous hacker e-mailed an admission that he had launched a denial-of-service attack against BetCRIS. The hacker wanted $500, via the Internet payment service e-Gold.

That seemed like a bargain to Richardson. He paid up and promptly spent thousands more on hardware designed to weed out unfriendly Web traffic. "I was thinking if this ever happens again," he said, "we won't have a problem."

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, Richardson found out how wrong he was. An e-mail demanded $40,000 by the following noon. It was the start of one of the biggest betting weeks of the year, with pro and college football as well as basketball. Richardson didn't respond.

The next day, BetCRIS crashed hard. About the same time, other betting sites were getting hit too. The threats came in mangled English: "In a case if you refuse our offer, your site will be attacked still long time." Some sites were shut down for weeks.

Costa Rican law enforcement was ill-equipped to deal with computer hackers thousands of miles away. Given the shaky legality of offshore betting, seeking help from U.S. authorities wasn't an attractive option. So the bookie in Costa Rica turned to Barrett Lyon, a spiky-haired philosophy major from Sacramento. Lyon had consulted for a major provider of odds to casinos, Don Best Sports, after the Las Vegas company had been hacked, and he had helped ward off a denial-of-service attack there in 2000.

From his condominium in Sacramento, Lyon quickly realized how much the landscape had changed since then.Instead of using a few machines, the extortion gangs control hundreds of thousands, often the personal computers of people with high-speed DSL lines or cable modems. Most of the PCs were compromised with a series of worms and viruses that began appearing last summer. They spread most easily to machines without firewalls and automated patching from security companies.

The infections force computers to listen for further instructions from a new program or direct them to check with master machines. The resulting armies of computer "bots" — short for robots — are used for sending spam and stealing financial information in addition to launching denial-of-service attacks.

As the written code of instructions for the malicious programs has spread, hackers have tinkered with them to suit their own ends, even renting out their mechanical legions for as little as a few hundred dollars an hour, experts said. The attacks on BetCRIS and other offshore sports books began as modest efforts in which an unknown number of computers initiated contact with the targets over and over. Lyon and a small team installed new hardware and wrote programs to weed out such traffic.

But every move they made was matched by what Lyon came to believe was a sophisticated group on the other side. The site would reappear for minutes or hours and then crash again, once going down just as Richardson had begun celebrating. Through Thanksgiving and beyond, the hackers taunted Richardson, boasting that they would make an example of him. Sleepless for nights on end, Richardson gave pep talks to the more than 200 employees at the firm.

Meanwhile, Lyon and partner Glenn Lebumfacil designed a new infrastructure for BetCRIS, one that relied on massive computing power far away from Costa Rica. Based in Phoenix, the new computers absorbed mammoth assaults without crashing. And the system cloaked the target sites so the hackers could see almost nothing about where their traffic was going. That kept the bad guys from pinpointing weaknesses in specialized machines inside the network.

The defenses held. But Lyon was already thinking about offense. So he turned spy. Although the individual machines used in the attacks were scattered around the world, Lyon used some common software flaws to track them further. They were all taking orders from computer servers hosting a form of anonymous online chat called IRC, for Internet Relay Chat.

Lyon joined the IRC channels as "hardcore," laboring to adopt just the right persona as he gossiped with the regulars. He pretended to be a bot program author from Vancouver, Canada, who had 250 machines under his control but had been away from the scene for a while. He watched as chat participants monitored attacks on Microsoft.com and BetCRIS.com.

During hours of online talks from January to March of this year, Lyon offered to improve the others' attack program and lend his own zombie computers to their efforts. "i could re write it," Lyon typed at one point. "I did it last semester in school for a test … just to see how fast I could scan large groups of machines."

Some members of the chat channel accepted his overtures. One, nicknamed "eXe," began making mistakes. He logged on from his home Internet service provider. A private file transfer gave away his true Internet address. And as late-night conversations turned social, he let slip his real first name — Ivan — and that he was a 21-year-old college student in Russia.

Lyon had been working with the FBI (news - web sites) to shut down some of the U.S.-based computers used in the attacks on the bookmakers. But without a U.S. victim, the agency was unwilling to launch its own investigation.

It was a different story with the British authorities. After testing the waters with the bookies in Latin America, the Russian gang had turned to similar companies based in England and Australia, where gambling firms are legal.

Soon almost every significant British betting firm had been hit at least once, and the matter grew to be a top priority for the London-based National Hi-Tech Crime Unit. One of the first British firms to be targeted, CanBet Ltd., had turned to the Hi-Tech Crime Unit in the fall and agreed to send traceable money to a list of names in Latvia provided by the extortionists. The unit sent a team to watch the pickup spots, along with local police, and the crew was alarmed to see the Latvians pick up cash sent by other businesses around the world.

"That was our first sign that this was big — where was all this money coming from?" said Det. Supt. Mick Deets, deputy head of the Hi-Tech Crime Unit. In a meeting in Los Angeles with the FBI and British agents, Lyon passed along what he and his team had learned. "They were of significant assistance," Deets said.

The ultimate "gotcha" came shortly after the L.A. meeting, when the hacker eXe used that same handle on an IRC network that listed a private e-mail address for him. Other records showed that the domain name in that e-mail address—"security-system.cc" — was owned by an Ivan Maksakov. "eXe made a HUGE mistake!" Lyon crowed in a March 13, 2004, e-mail to the Hi-Tech Crime Unit and the FBI.

Armed with the results from the money trail and Lyon's information, the British authorities went to the Russian Interior Ministry and suggested several arrests, including that of Maksakov, who lived in Saratov. In late July, police picked him up, along with a 23-year-old St. Petersburg man and a 24-year-old in Stavropol. Two other suspects are being sought.

Most known members of the ring are students who communicated entirely online, Interior Ministry spokesman Anatoly Platonov said. The group had taken in hundreds of thousands of dollars in extortion money, Deets said. Including lost profits at the bookmakers, at least two major banks and other targets, the ring caused about $90 million in damage,
Platonov said.

Lyon has mixed feelings about the sting against Maksakov, who told Lyon he made only $2,000 a month for fairly sophisticated work. "It's not going to get better with one or two kids put in prison," Lyon said. But that's good for his new business, Prolexic Technologies Inc., which is based in Hollywood, Fla. His sting operation for BetCRIS produced a dozen clients. Prolexic is on track to bring in $2 million this year.
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Alexei V. Kuznetsov of The Times' Moscow Bureau contributed to this report.

2004-11-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

[Link] Health/ Fibromyalgia / Depression Forum

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Quote from site:
"FIBROMYALGIA / DEPRESSION FORUM. Discuss symptoms, medications and side effects. Offer insights and share information. We're all in this together!"

Check this fantastic Blog out, you'll be happy you did!

Out of ten, Fibromyalgia / Depression Forum recieves a 10/10. Of course that is my opinion, I could be wrong. I would like to hear your think.

Link:
BLOGNAUT - Fibromyalgia / Depression Forum
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2004-11-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

[Computers] Software/ WinMX v3.53
Reviews On A World Leading P2P Network!
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Many people are enjoying the P2P (Peer-2-Peer) networking options offered to us by many companies these days. Most networks offer the software and membership at an unbeatable value -- FREE! There are other networks as well offering fantastic options, either for a small fee (for the program), a membership fee (a one time or monthly fee), or some charge the user a nominal free per song (example: $1 USD). Today, we are going to have a quick look at a network used by millions around the world, simply known as WinMX.

Apart from its relatively recent release date of July 2, 2004 (latest version: v3.53), WinMX v3.53 has not really changed, at least GUI (Graphic User Interface)-speaking, for a long time. The GUI looks like a program from the mid-late 1990's, and looks very antiquated and plain. Besides being a resource hog, WinMX v3.53 is a poor tool for downloading large-sized files (150 MB +), is non-skinable, and its chat & messanger options (even on version 3.53) work once in a while (30-40%).

Not all is lost though, WinMX v3.53 has other areas in which it excels at.

First and foremost, the program is absolutely free! No Ads! No Pop-Ups! No membership fees! No individual fees per song! That's right. IT'S ALL FREE!!! After all, aren't we all just sharing pictures of our recent family trip from this past sumer, pictures of our dog when on our family trip, she acidently sipped a little too much beer and got drunk, and our 2 favorite songs from the Mini-Pops?

WinMX v3.53 is a fantastic tool for searching those hard-to-find songs (usually finding them), has a huge community of users (so there will be an almost never-ending amount of files in various formats, such as: MP3, MPEG4, ASF, AVI, OGG, AU, WAV, MIDI, WSX, JPG, PNG, CLR, RAR, ACE, ZIP, ISO, DOC, TXT, etc), it is easy to toggle between the various search results (each search will have a corresponding folder with results), you are able to monitor your bandwidth via an Active Graphic Display winow, and can search for data on the network using a file-filter system. The latter simply means, that if you are searching for an ABBA song (for example) of at least
224kbps, then select that specification into the filter window, and the results will be every possible file from ABBA of 224kbps on up, from the network at that current minute.

If when searching for files/songs the results come up on the thin side (small amount), try clicking 'search' again after a minute or two (also, it could be it is a really hard-to-find file/song).

What needs to be addressed and changed for WinMX G2? The GUI first off. Come on guys, it is almost 2005 now! Make the next generation WinMX (G2) skinable, giving the user full artistic control to customize their own look of WinMX G2. Include a language translator so people from North America can easily read files from a user living in Japan, and vice versa. Either improve the chat and message options (especially making them stable), or get rid of them completely.

Out of ten, WinMX v3.53 recieves a 6.3/10. Of course that is my opinion, I could be wrong. I would like to hear your think.

PROS: It is free (both the program, and no membership fees), It is a great tool for downloading MP3s, and there is a huge community of users.
CONS: Antiquated & Cluttered GUI, Non-Skinable GUI, Poor tool for downloading large-sized files (150MB +), and Chat & Messanger options (even on v3.53) work once in a while.
COMPETITION: KaZaa, Napster G2, Pitahaya (formely known as Sharefront), BitTorrent, Morpheus, iMesh, LimeWire, Gnutella, and Grokster, to name a few.
PRICE: $ F R E E
COMPANY'S WEBSITE: WinMX
LINKS: Older Versions of WinMX (download site)
FILE SIZE: 804 KB
PUBLICATION: ©2004 CTRL-X Publications.
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2004-11-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

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