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Thursday, April 11, 2002
• Explaining wireless
If you've heard about Wi-Fi Net access but remain unsure
what it is, read this article from The
Economist. It offers a good explanation of this rapidly expanding
wireless technology, its advantages and disadvantages, and how several
companies are trying to capitalize on its popularity. I dream of my own
Wi-Fi network, but first I need a high-speed link to the Internet. Hopefully,
one will be arriving at my doorstep soon.
• An Amazonian tussle
Ever buy or sell a used book through Amazon.com? The Authors
Guild, an organization for published authors wishes you wouldn't and is
urging
its members to drop links to Amazon from their Web sites. The Authors
Guild claims, "Amazon's practice does damage to the publishing industry,
decreasing royalty payments to authors and profits to publishers."
But an Amazon spokesman told CNET
News.com the used-book marketplace makes readers more inclined to
buy an author's new books.
The Guild and the Association of American Publishers have
been fighting Amazon's used-book marketplace for more than a year. In
December 2000, the two groups sent a
letter of protest to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
I'm sympathetic to the authors' concern about the potential
loss of royalties, but I think they're fighting a losing battle here.
People will do what technology makes possible. Here that means making
a buck or two off a book that otherwise would collect dust on a bookshelf,
or saving a few dollars on something they want to read. My view is the
Authors Guild would be better off helping its members take advantage of
the Net to market and sell their works.
• I couldn't agree more
Netscape co-founder tells broadcasters efforts to copy-protect
music, movies or television are destined to fail, according
to SiliconValley.com. "Digital media is
the biggest opportunity the entertainment industry has ever seen,'' Marc
Andreesen told the National Association of Broadcasters in Las Vegas.
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Wednesday, April 10, 2002
• Weblog world
Another mainstream journalist has joined the blogging
revolution. Louise
Kehoe, Silicon Valley correspondent for the Financial
Times says she was derisive when she first came across weblogs, calling
them "the digital equivalent of scrapbooks containing pictures and
articles cut out of magazines and newspapers."
Now, she says, the best "have a fresh, raw quality
and provide a personal perspective on the topics they cover."
Welcome to the fold, Louise.
And, staying on the same topic, here's a good
summary by Glenn Harland Reynolds of InstaPundit.com
of an ongoing spat between bloggers and old media correspondents who look
down their noses at blogging.
• Another day, another patch from Microsoft
Microsoft today released a
patch to fix 10 newly discovered security flaws in its Web server
software, according
to the Associated Press. The flaws are found in the last three versions
of Microsoft's Internet Information Server and Internet Information Services
software.
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Tuesday, April 9, 2002
• Kids love the Net
The dot-com bust may let the Net naysayers chuckle a little,
but those of us who believe it is a powerful medium that will continue
to change the way we live are going to have the last laugh. The latest
evidence: A growing number of studies showing the large role the Net plays
in role of today's young people. A recent one by Knowledge
Networks/Statistical Research concludes the Internet is more vital
to American children than television. One third of surveyed children 8
to 17 said the Internet is their first choice if they can only have one
medium. Television finished second with 26 percent.
• Signalling a wireless war
There's a fight brewing in the wireless world between
satellite radio operators Sirius
Satellite Radio and XM
Satellite Radio and Wi-Fi wireless networks that are becoming a popular
way to jump on the Net. The two nascent industries operate on radio signals
that are separated by a small buffer. The satellite radio companies worry
that as Wi-Fi
becomes more popular, it will interfere with their signals and cause
listeners to tune out.
That has prompted Satellite and XM to ask the FCC to impose
regulations on Wi-Fi makers, according
to CNET News.com. The Wi-Fi folks say there is no problem. "It's just
absurd," David Sifry, chief technology officer for Sputnik,
told News.com.
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