Category Archives: culture

Sony CD Security Fix Leaves Users Unsecured

Sony BMG Music Entertainment attempted to protect some of its music CDs from digital piracy by automatically installing copy protection software on the computers of users who attempted to play the music CDs on their computers. The security tool is a system root kit, and it restricts copying of the music on the CD. In response to a widespread outcry from consumers and security experts, Sony BMG Music Entertainment created a downloadable patch that will disable the root kit security program; however, the patch leaves the affected computer open to anyone’s downloading software to the computer.

 
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Don’t Say Anything: We Still Know Where You Are

While it is illegal to use a handheld cellular phone while driving in some states, and experts agree that holding a cellular conversation while driving is a contributing cause to driver distraction, it seems that some states may have found a way to take advantage of the popularity of road-bound cellular phones.

 
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Bennigan’s Leaves Something Worth Desiring

I just arrived home from dinner at Bennigan’s in Columbia, Maryland. It is my wife’s birthday–yes, a big one–and we were celebrating with family and friends. I received quite a bit of teasing during dinner…the restaurant wasn’t up to snuff with either the quality of food or the service, and I was expected to blog our experience. After I ate, I even returned to our car to pick up my wireless PDA, just in case I could log this article while still in the restaurant.

 
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New York Suburb To Require Secure Wireless Networks

Westchester County, New York, a suburb of New York City, may become the first area in the country to require wireless networks to be secured. Wi-Fi hot spots, such as those found in coffee shops, book stores, and recreational areas are popular not only with average citizens, but also with crackers seeking to collect credit card data and other personal information.

 
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Almost Two-Thirds of U.S. Homes Have An Online Computer

According to the most recent U.S. Census data, 62 million households in the United States have an Internet-connected computer. That means just over half, 55 percent of homes have relatively easy access to the net, including e-mail and web resources. This data, current as of 2003, shows a five percent increase in connected computers, compared to the 2001 data, and more than triple the 18 percent connectivity rate reported in 1997.

 
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Wi-Fi on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

My family is vacationing on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and wi-fi internet access is still a bit sparse in the golfing mecca. Although our resort promises to have a wi-fi network installed in the next few days, it will be too late for us (until next year, that is!). In the mean time, I’ve stopped by my favorite wireless hotspot, the Internet Café & Sundries shop in Coligny Plaza, the de facto downtown of the island.

 
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Orville’s Restaurant Serves Great Crab Soup at York Airport

I flew in to York Airport today for a quick lunch. What I found was one of the best servings of crab soup that I’ve ever had (and I love crab soup!).

 
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U.S. Broadband Market Shrinking

The Pew Internet & American Life Project reported in a paper dated September 24th, but released earlier in the week, that residential broadband adoption grew quickly in recent years; however, the speed of adoption is now slowing.

 
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Google Print Faces Legal Challenges

The Authors Guild, Inc. has sued Google, Inc. on behalf of over 8,000 authors. The Authors Guild claims to be the nation’s largest and oldest society of published authors and the leading writers’ advocate for fair compensation, effective copyright protection, and free expression. Google Print’s stated mission is to organize the world’s information, but much of that information isn’t yet online. Google Print aims to get it there by putting book content where you can find it most easily – right in your Google search results.

 
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Google That Blog

Google, Inc., the search engine (and everything else) company has released a beta version of a blog search site that offers similar features to its most-popular web search engine. The new search engine scans blogs, the popular online journals that offer both professional journalists and citizen pundits simple access to online publication. Google Blog Search should give a bit of much-wanted visibility and authority to the burgeoning blogosphere.

 
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No More Pencils, No More Books, Now I’ve Got an iBook

Well written and accessible electronic texts are the holy grail of the digital classroom, and now, an otherwise traditional public school in Tucson, Arizona, Empire High School, has issued Apple iBooks to each of its 340 students, making the notebooks a core component of the academic environment. Students will have access to electronic text books, rather than printed texts.

 
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GoogleNet Hotspots Coming To A City Near You

Commercial internet wi-fi hotspots are popping up in coffee shops and bookstores around the country. Most universities and many public libraries offer free wi-fi service. A quick drive though any but the most downtrodden neighborhoods yields signals from at least a small percentage of the residences. With wi-fi being as popular as it is, why is it that wi-fi infrastructure isn’t as well developed as cellular telephone service? Why hasn’t someone made wi-fi even more accessible?

 
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U.S. Copyright Office Fumbles, Bit by Bit

The U.S. Copyright Office is soliciting opinions, through August 22d, about it’s planned website upgrade that will require the use of Microsoft Internet Explorer, effectively banning most technically-advanced users and all Linux and open-source advocates from its service.

 
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Tom & Terry’s is the Only Seafood Joint at the Beach

Twice this vacation, and in previous years, we ordered crabs, shrimp and clams from Tom & Terry’s Seafood Market in Ocean View, Delaware. Both evenings, the food was well prepared and ready for pickup on time.

 
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MBA Interns Head to India to Learn Outsourcing Firsthand

Infosys Technologies, Ltd., the Bangalore-based outsource services company featured in Thomas Freidman’s book, The World is Flat, has admitted 40 interns to it’s global internship program, InStep. Rather than seeking coveted corporate internships in the United States, graduate business students are finding fertile fields abroad. Learning firsthand how outsourcing works, by viewing the process from the money-making end, future business leaders also gain an opportunity to network with peers from 70 international universities; some from the U.S., Japan, Canada, Germany and France.

 
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Energy Bill May Make Americans Late

With the upcoming change to how the United States will calculate Daylight Saving Time (DST), users of digital calendars may find themselves arriving late for appointments. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, expected to be signed into law today, will cause unexpected havoc for electronic calendars, including those in PCs, handheld computers, and even personal digital recorders. Who would have thought?

 
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Microsoft Windows Piracy Check Cracked

Microsoft Corporation requires users of it’s flagship operating system, Windows XP, to verify the authenticity of their software installation before downloading patches and updates from Microsoft’s website. The validation tool, called Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), can easily be cracked without much trouble. This allows users of pirated copies of Microsoft Windows to verify their installation and receive the extra bennies offered from the manufacturer.

 
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Wi-Fi and Morning Coffee at the Beach

It’s 8:15 A.M., and I’m enjoying my morning coffee while typing to my favorite friends. I’m siting in To Bean or Not to Bean (2Bean), an internet café in Bethany Beach, Delaware. 2Bean is the only café in town offering both wired and wireless internet access, and it’s a comfortable respite from the morning humidity and the afternoon heat that comes with being near the ocean.

 
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Warren’s Station: Fine Family Dining in Fenwick Island, Delware

One of my family’s favorite beach-side breakfast stops is Warren’s Station in Fenwick Island, Delaware. This family-run restaurant is clean, friendly, and inviting: a perfect place for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Click here for the restaurant’s website.

 
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Café Tu Tu Tango: A Niagara Falls Must Eat

While in Niagara Falls, Ontario, my family dropped in to Café Tu Tu Tango, and we found ourselves in one of the most enjoyable light-fare restaurants that we have ever visited.

 
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