The Rigged-Up Net

Enron to auction headquarters building

Enron Corp. will begin auctioning off its 50-story headquarters in downtown Houston on Tuesday.

Ok… I got my vonage box… I literally plugged it in, and it started working… the calls are crystal-clear with no lag at all… I’m stunned at the quality… this thing is bad-ass.

The only thing that doesn’t work is CallerID – need to drop them a line.

UPDATE:

CallerID works, turns out my old phone I used to tesk just won’t work with Vonage – no big deal… everything is working as they claimed… the only bug I’m dealing with now is the missing stutter-dialtone when there are new messages. Vonage Support knows of the issue and it seems they are working on it.

Linux tablet PC breaks $1,000 barrier

A small PC maker and a Linux distributor have teamed up to offer a tablet-style PC for $999, hundreds of dollars less than similar devices running Microsoft’s Windows XP Tablet PC Edition software.

Patching: Process matters

The list of all-too-familiar names – Nachi, Klez, Lovsan, SoBig, BugBear, Swen, Blaster and Yaha – represents only a sampling of the most prevalent worms and viruses that slithered into corporate networks this fall. But they all have one thing in common: Patches were readily available before most damage had been done. So why do these intruders continue to wreak such havoc?

Elderly falls linked to vitamin deficiency

An unexpected risk factor for the potentially fatal falls suffered by many elderly people has been discovered – vitamin D deficiency.

CEOS of the future get formal training to take giant leap

Six corporate chief executives of the future sip brandy by a fire at the Inn at Montchanin on a rainy October night. They’ve paid $27,500 each, more than a year’s tuition at most colleges, to attend a five-day program called Top Talent put on by management consultant RHR International.

Getting Real About the DVR Threat

Television broadcasters, who increasingly find themselves adrift in a multichannel media world, have only themselves to blame and may have only a few years to salvage or leverage their grass-roots franchises.

Label could put stop to fruit squeezing

A label that changes colour as fruit ripens is allowing shoppers to see whether pears are ready to eat without have to squeeze them.

Ice cream maker promises two scoops (plus) to your taste

Brandy espresso, pie crust, chocolate cashews — or dulce de leche, ginger candy, spumoni? Mike Mandell of the Reinhold Ice Cream Co. says no matter what your flavor is, he’ll make it and ship it.

Ok, this a great idea… about 10 years ago I had GTE-Mobile service in Houston which did the same thing – Forward your mobile phone to your home number while you were at home. I loved it, I did’t have to dash for my phone when I left it in another room when it rang… and I didn’t use my minutes while I was home either. Glad someone picked up the idea again – too bad its Cingular, but I’m sure the rest of the carriers will follow.

FastForward
Never miss a call with Cingular’s FastForward

Alaska Ice Hotel Controversy Heats Up

The state fire marshal has put a freeze on construction of an ice hotel near Fairbanks, but the man behind the subarctic architecture is still chipping away.

FCC to Look at Phone Firms’ Use of Internet to Carry Calls

The telecommunications industry, eager to find a route around a 100-year-old regulatory regime, has turned to a new path: the Internet.

Apartment Glut Forces Owners to Cut Rents in Much of U.S.

Renting an apartment in much of the country these days can feel a little like waking up on your birthday.

Woman Knocked Unconscious While Shopping

A mob of shoppers rushing for a sale on DVD players trampled the first woman in line and knocked her unconscious as they scrambled for the shelves at a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Post to MovableType or Typepad from FeedDemon

In the FeedDemon newsgroup Jakub Kazecki shared how to post to MovableType directly from FeedDemon RSS Reader, as shown below. See also Glenn Slaven’s post for posting to Typepad from FeedDemon. FeedDemon 1.0 RC2 is also now available. See today’s post for links and details.

Essential Spanish Phrases – According to Posh (Reuters)

Reuters – England captain David Beckham’s pop star wife Victoria says she is settling down in Spain and learning the local language after is transfer to Spanish champions Real Madrid.

Tattoo Removal Becoming More Common (AP)

At 23, Alexandra Baker figures it’s time to get rid of the spider on her ankle. The tattoo was inked on in college — one of seven on her body. But Baker’s outlook has changed somewhat. The spider is something to hide rather than exhibit. So it’s coming off, along with two little fairies on her chest.

Scholars of Twang Track All the ‘Y’Alls’ in Texas (The New York Times)

A National Geographic Society survey of Texas speech is helping to throw a scientific light on the mythologized (and sometimes ridiculed) Texas twang.

New DVD Format Approved

Toshiba Corp. and NEC Corp. said Friday that the DVD Forum, an international association of electronics makers and movie studios, has approved the two Japanese companies’ standard for next-generation DVDs.

Many Women at Risk of Being Murdered Don’t Know It

Nearly one half of women who are about to experience an attempt on their lives at the hands of a boyfriend or husband may not realize they are in danger, new research reports

Comdex: Best of the Worst

Comdex sucked.
There, we said it. It’s not like this is news, either. What is news, however, is why it sucked: the show was even emptier than last year. Gone are the days when you could crane your neck down the aisles and see banners advertising the crème de la crème of the technology industry: Microsoft, IBM, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Dell, and others. This year, it was Microsoft, and… Microsoft. The MS booth even had a Dell booth inside it, like it hcad been, well, assimilated.

North American flu epidemic spreading

The flu epidemic is continuing to spread across North America, with the first child to die in Canada this season being reported in Ontario on Friday.

Turkeys May Not Be Stupid After All (AP)

An Oregon State University poultry scientist thinks turkeys are getting a bum rap. While they may not be the sharpest arrows in the quiver, Tom Savage, a professor of Animal Science, said the big birds aren’t really dumb.

Spray-on female contraceptive to start trial

The world’s first trial of a female contraceptive spray will begin in Australia early in 2004. The approach involves a new technique for transferring hormones across the skin and a novel low-dose contraceptive hormone.

Stephen King hospitalized with pneumonia

Stephen King was expected to remain in a Maine hospital on Thanksgiving as he recovers from pneumonia, a spokesman said.

Orgasmatron inventor seeks female volunteers

Women who cannot have orgasms can now have a device implanted in their spines that will trigger the sensation for them. Clinical trials of the “orgasmatron” have begun in the US, with the approval of the Food and Drug Administration.

Wild Turkeys Turning Up in New York City

Alex Calota saw it strutting near his hot dog cart about five months ago. It was a wild turkey — in Manhattan.

The World’s No.1 Science & Technology News Service

A small company in London, UK, claims to have developed a technique that overturns scientific dogma and could revolutionise medicine. It says it can turn ordinary blood into cells capable of regenerating damaged or diseased tissues. This could transform the treatment of everything from heart disease to Parkinson’s.

Less pesticide means more bugs for food buyers

Sure, it’s scary to find poisonous black widow spiders on store-bought grapes. But food safety specialists and growers say it’s less frightening than the alternative: a return to harsher pesticides.

Enable 30-second skip on your Tivo… originally I thought you had to turn on Backdoors first, but evidentlaly that’s changed with the 4.x software.

http://www.weaknees.com/30/

EscapeCellHell.org

EscapeCellHell.org is a project of Consumers Union. Our goal is to increase the power of consumers and improve service and options in the wireless phone market. States and the federal government have seen a marked increase in wireless complaints in the past few years, yet there are no baseline customer safeguards. By fighting for basic standards like simplified calling plans, adequate trial periods, fair contracts and understandable bills, EscapeCellHell.org aims to improve wireless service plans and call quality. EscapeCellHell.org also gives consumers advice on comparison shopping for cell phone service, tips on how to complain, and information on cell phone safety.

We call it the Pumar.

RvB viewer Edwin A. showed us this picture of a Peugeot concept car. Now I know what you’re thinking — “Peugeot still makes cars?” But take a close look at the design. Look familiar? They even named it “The Hoggar” which I think is French for “M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle”. Maybe I’m wrong — my French is a little weak. Although, the fact that it had an option for a rear-mounted minigun is a bit silly.

This is too too funny.

The iPod’s dirty secret #

Frustrated that Apple wants to charge him $255 to replace the dead battery in his 18-month old iPod, one guy has decided to strike back with a guerrilla marketing campaign of his own — he’s been stencilling the words “iPods Unreplaceable Battery Lasts Only 18 Months” on Apple ads all over his town. Check out this video chronicling his efforts.
Watch [Via BoingBoing]

(Thanks Dirk)

UPDATE:

iPod Repair Service

Battery Service: $99.00 USD: labor, parts, and a 90-day guarantee on materials and workmanship, plus $6.95 shipping. $105.95 USD total.

College professors ponder the “Matrix” philosophy

Long after The Matrix Revolutions morphs itself off the big screen, the eternal battle of reality versus illusion, fate versus free will and good versus evil will rage on in philosophy classrooms everywhere.

2003 worst ever year for HIV, says UN report

The highest ever number of new HIV infections and deaths around the world was recorded in 2003, reveals a new UN report.

Why Do We Care About Paris Hilton?

Before you answer this article’s titular question with, “but dude, I don’t!”, realize two things. One, you are reading this article, which might just prove that you do, in fact, care. And two, Paris Hilton is pretty hot, which probably explains reason number one.

This cracks me up…

L.A. County Bans Use Of “Master/Slave” Term

SlashChick writes “In an interesting twist on political correctness, LA County has banned the use of the terms ‘Master/Slave’ (commonly used to denote hard drive arrangements.) According to Snopes.com, ‘someone within the County bureaucracy… had taken offense at “master/slave” references and complained to the board.’ LA County now requires that vendors working with the county remove all ‘master/slave’ references. Incredible. Read the full story.”

New IE may burst pop-up bubble

Pop-up advertisements have thrived for years despite numerous efforts to eradicate them, but now online marketers are seriously wondering whether the Web’s most detested ad format is about to meet its match: Microsoft.

Boeing fires CFO over ethics

The Boeing Co. said Monday it has fired Mike Sears, the chief financial officer, “as a result of circumstances surrounding the hiring of Darleen Druyun, a former U.S. government official.”