Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2

Dave Ciccone Leaves MobileTech Roundup

Darn. Dave Ciccone has announced he will be leaving MobileTech Roundup due to the many committments he's got running in his Mobile Tech life. While I am more than sure that James Kendrick and Kevin Tofel will keep things just as informative and just as wacky, (I'm a big fan of the podcast), I'll miss Dave's contributions. JK and Kevin are looking for a third host, so if you're into the Mobile Tech thing and podcasting, you might want to give them a shout out. Good luck to Dave on his many other endeavors. You'll be missed.

Sunday Morning Reading

Some Sunday morning reading to share.

I figured it was only a matter of time before somoene came up with a Reality TV Show (I hate that term because the minute you throw a camera in the mix there is no such thing as reality) about the theatre. The Play's The Thing focuses on a playwrighting competition and I'm sure it will be just as artificially full of yelling, screaming, game-playing, and manipulation as any of the others. Because that is what sells these stupid series, not the subject matter, but human stuidity in front of cameras. The Play's The Thing starts across the pond in Britain and I'm sure there will be a US version (God, help us) sooner rather than later.

Lawyers at work. Disney lawyers jumped all over a Britsh stone-mason for seeking permission to carve an image of Winne The Pooh in a graveyard headstone. Disney PR poohbahs at work. The lawyers called off the dogs. Via BoingBoing.

Yet another really expensive hamburger for folks with too much money on their hands. This one will set you back over $100 with tax and tip. Why?

More policital outrage over news that isn't news. Lots of screaming when it was discoverd that the US was peeking at banking records as a tactic in the War on Terrorism. Of course Cheny came running to the defense of the act, (as did others.) You see it makes it easy for all of these public servants to keep track of all their assests that they had to put in blind trusts when they signed on with Uncle Sam.

More mother guilt ahead. A new study suggests that the age of a mother when she gives birth has an impact on how long the child lives. Younger birth mothers supposedly have longer living off-spring. I can hear it now, "You were too old when you had me!" Freud would be thrilled.

Some think Jon Stewart is causing our youth to become disaffected with politics. Give me a break. All he has to do these days to be funny is read the news headlines. You can't make stuff up like that.

28,000 Sailors SSN#'s Appear on Website

You knew it was only a matter of time. It looks like stolen personal ID info from the US Navy appeared on a website (it has now been taken down) giving life to the fears that anyone who has been follwoing the recent raft of lost laptops.

Why do I think this is only the beginning of something really bad.

Adventures In Customer Service

A couple of new entries in the Adventures in Customer Service log. Earlier this week an AOL subscriber, Vincent Ferrari, published an audio recording of his attempts to cancel his AOL subscription. It went viral, he ended up becoming this week's celebrity on the air-waves and he even got an apology from an AOL higher up saying they don't condone this stuff. I love those apologies and pleas of ignorance. So does Ken Lay. You should read his sum up post as well.

Next up is the Comcast tech who got caught on video sleeping on the customer's sofa while waiting for instructions from the office. The usual corporate apologies apply.

And with all of this bouncing around, The Washington  Post is planning on arming its reporters with video cameras as well as notepads and pencils.

I'm wondering if we are going to start seeing a flood of these kinds of customer support adventure reports on video and audio. Eric Mack recently informed a Toshiba Tech Support individual that he was recording the conversation. I'm planning on doing the same thing with my next adventure.

The real question? Will it have an effect?

Listening to BloggerCon IV

I took some time to listen to some of the conversations coming out of BloggerCon IV last night. Good stuff, mediocre stuff, fun stuff, and boring stuff, but on the whole worth a listen if you're interested in hearing folks talk about blogging, where it is, where it might be going, where they'd like it to go. You get as much ego and puffery as you get from reading blogs, but then that's part of the fun.

Most interesting discussion to me so far was centered around just how much of your personal life you blog about and some of the dangers associated with it. I also like Chris Pirillo's stuff.

If you're interested and have the time there's a webcast feed here and and mp3s of the sessions are being posted here on the BloggerCon site. More info on Scripting News. There's also a video webcast feed available but as of now it's not hooking up here. All in all good rainy day listening.

Tiny Screenfuls: How Can You Steal Free WiFi?

I asked the same question that Josh Bancroft of Tiny Screenfuls asked when I saw news of the poor schlub who get arrested for filching a signal from a coffee shop. On one hand I'm glad this sort of thing is being looked at seriously, on the other hand we might have a semantic problem. How can you steal what is advertised as free. I know, free for the customers of the establishment, yeah, sure, but where does that start and stop.

Let's say the coffee shop has an outdoor sitting area and customers are using the signal there. Is someone sitting just outside that fence in their car, who just bought a cup of coffee stealing the signal or no.

What about the guy/gal strolling down a walking mall who stops to use his/her WiFi equipped cellphone?

Interesting. 

Net Neutrality Villians Take To Cartoons For Propaganda

As if lining the pockets of politicians wasn't enough, the Net Neutrality villains have taken to cartoons to try and sway folks that neutrality is a bad idea. I'd say I'm outraged but if you've seen any of the ludicrous ads they've been running you'd know there was nothing these guys wouldn't stoop to.

What's sadder is how unengaged the public is about this, but yet the Telcos keep pushing. Propaganda works for the uninformed and that's just the way they like it. What's at stake? A free Internet is about to go the way of the dinosaurs and we'll see all sorts of toll-road set up along the information highway. If you're concerned at all about the future of the Internet you should be engaged and this post on The Daily Kos can point you to Senate committee folk you should contact and let them know your feelings.

Unfortunately The Register article I'm linking to with a link to the cartoon, will probably not be read as the satire it was intended to be by those who aren't paying attention.

Movie Critic Caught Selling DVDs To Pirates

So, who's a pirate now? Apparently Boston Herald movie critic Paul Sherman got busted selling screening DVDs to pirates. Poor thief didn't even make that much money off the deal. I'm sure this will call for a new round of DRM protection and probably see film critics reduced to watching screeners under armed guard.

Via Ars Technica

Not a Day Goes By

It seems like not a day goes by without another report of someone stealing or someone losing data on government employees, veterans, and/or ordinary citizens. Now it is the Agriculture Department. Is this ever going to stop? Another day, another 26,000 identities compromised.

Via MSNBC

I Need One Of These

Every year we fight away birds who like to build there nests under air-conditioners, in dryer vents, you name it. We come up with a way to keep them away, the ingenious little winged creatures find a new place to squat. So, when I saw this on BoingBoing, I thought this might be the ticket.

Apparently the Bird Chase Laser from Bird Be Gone fires three beams of red light at the birds and doesn't harm them. Ok, the "doesnt' harm" part will keep the wife happy. Not to sure about the "ideal for open area" part of the description though.

Nevertheless, intriguing.