Category: TechNews Bytes

Looks like more and more people are switching to broadband, and rightfully so. When I made the switch to broadband, I couldn’t imagine going back to dialup for anything-the difference between using dialup for even things as menial as retrieving email versus broadband were enormous and amazing; and this was before I started doing things like online gaming, downloading, and web developing.

Regardless, the United States is still lacking in people who use broadband internet access at home, and a lot of people still don’t have access to it or figure they don’t need access to it if they have access at work. No matter, I still look forward to the day when dial-up is a backup for a national broadband infrastructure and high-quality broadband internet access is ubiquitous.

[ http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/22/technology/broadband.reut/index.htm ]

As much as politicians talk big about wanting to preserve the environment and promote newer, less oil-reliant energy technologies, it looks like fuel-cells might actually be taking hold as a new automobile technology. It looks promising to those of us tired of paying high prices for gasoline or watching the money fly out of our wallets or the economy come screeching to a halt all over the price of oil. Wired News has the digs, check it out:

[ http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,66111,00.html ]

But it obviously won’t be that easy. BitTorrent, the all-the-rage peer-to-peer file sharing technology is completely decentralized, and even harder to crack down on than more popularly targeted networks like KaZaA and Grokster. Hollywood is tired of people sharing movies, both new and old, and is following the music industry’s example by crying that such downloads are cutting into studio profits, DVD and video sales and rentals, and the salaries of actors, directors, and staff. But the larger question remains, while Hollywood is obviously serious about it, the music industry’s tactics haven’t stopped or even slowed down online file sharing, so why does the MPAA think they’ll fare any better?

[ http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,66034,00.html ]

Looks like they’re at it again. A couple of months ago, Real and Apple traded blows when Harmony, RealNetworks’ digital rights management technology essentially allowed their music to be protected as well as played on iPods, a tactic that Apple took offense to. Well, “take offense” is putting it lightly, Apple accused Real of “hacking” the iPod, and Apple’s own FairPlay digital rights management technology. Apple released an iPod update for the iPod photo that locks songs downloaded from RealNetworks’ online music store from being played on the iPod, and Real promises to retaliate. Read all about it:

Apple Locks Out RealNetworks With iPod Update
[ http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,118967,tk,dn121604X,00.asp ]

RealNetworks Promises IPod Fix
[ http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,118975,tk,dn121604X,00.asp ]