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Comment I love this patent for "embedded menus" (Score 1) 243

I would say a good 60% of high-content sites have used some form of this over the years - many now with just CSS and little-to-no JavaScript. Initially invented by SGI and involves a java applet... 14 years ago.

Patent 5,742,768

I have no faith in the judicial system when it comes to understanding patents and why MS has never gone after another rival who uses these and expect them to rule in favor of MS.

Comment Re:bad attitudes (Score 1) 742

Bad attitudes suck, but I can understand. When I go to one of my co-workers to talk about a problem I'm having, it's more to discuss and figure out the answer for myself. I know that logically, I have the answer (just may not realize it), but sometimes it's that response back to me during a brief discussion that might not be correct, but inadvertently leads me to the correct course of action.

I think that most people have an idea of what the answer is, it just hasn't manifested itself in an obvious way.
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Unlimited gall to cost Verizon $1 million (networkworld.com)

netbuzz writes: Unlimited really means unlimited, even in advertising. So says the New York State Attorney General's Office in squeezing a $1 million settlement out of Verizon Wireless for disconnecting 13,000 of its customers who had the temerity to believe that the unlimited service they were promised came with unlimited service. Verizon's statement explaining the settlement is a gem, too.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/20981

Movies

Submission + - RIAA: Cost of CDs should be higher

EatingSteak writes: "The folks over at Techdirt just put up a great story today, with the RIAA claiming the cost of a CD has gone down significantly relative to CPI (Consumer Price Index). The link FTA to the RIAA page of "Key Facts" claims that based on the 1983 price of CDs, the 1996 price should have been $33.86.
So naturally, the cost of a CD has actually gone down, so you should feel like you're getting a bargain. Sounds an awful lot like the cable companies saying cable prices are really going down even though they're going up.

Furthermore, the RIAA "Facts" page goes on to say: "though some factions of the industry see price resistance — CD prices are relatively low and home videos rentals are still a bargain — consumers don't seem to balk at the rising price of fun in this strong, family-friendly economy."
Wait a minute. Consumers not balking at rising prices of other types of fun (assuming fun == media consumption)? I disagree. Movie theater attendence has has been slipping for a long time, and who says consumers are not balking at high prices of movie rentals? At Blockbuster, a movie rental is $3.95! After taxes, I don't even get a $1 bill back out of my $5. Needless to say, I haven't been spending much time or money there. Finally, I contend that movie rental prices have been decreasing. Now, instead of paying $4 every time I watch a movie, I can just watch all the movies I want for the price of two or three single rentals. And no crap about phantom late fees either. The RIAA should be happy they're still getting as much for CDs as they are, because they're certainly not going to be getting $33.86 anytime soon."
Music

Submission + - Ogg Vorbis gaining industry support

An anonymous reader writes: While Ogg Vorbis format has not seen much popularity in music sales and portable players, it is not an unsupported format in the industry. Toy manufacturers (e.g. speaking dolls), voice warning systems and reactive audio devices exploit Ogg Vorbis for its good quality at small bitrates. As a sign of this, VLSI Solution Oy has just announced VS1000, the first 16 bits DSP device for playing Ogg Vorbis on low power and high volume products. Earlier Ogg Vorbis chips use 32 bits for decoding which consumes more energy than a 16 bit device does. This enables high volume manufacturing of small Ogg Vorbis devices. A list of Ogg Vorbis chips can be found from the Xiph wiki page.
User Journal

Journal SPAM: The EFF Cracks Secret FBI Printer Tracking Codes 2

Almost all printers secretly print dots without your consent, which are invisible to the naked eye. Apparently Xerox (Docucolor series), and possibly others, have included this technology. This is being used by the FBI to keep an eye on groups such as Greenpeace and United for Peace and Justice. As an effort of their Machine Identification Code Technology project, the EFF has cracked the code, and provided a

The Internet

Journal Journal: Comcast gets tough on HighSpeed Internet Customers.

I've been a Comcast customer nearly 4 years and have had a pleasant experience with them until recently. We received a phone call in December from someone claiming they were a Comcast rep to warn us of excessive bandwidth usage. After multiple calls to Comcast Customer Service that same day, we were told to ignore the call since their records said our account showed no issues.

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