A reinvention of an old scheme. The Welcome Wagon did most of this manually. The Welcome Wagons local office collected lists of new residents, renters or homeowners, in their area from the Telephone Company or other Utility Companies and sent representatives to spy on them. The Welcome Wagons representative would knock on the residents door and offer them a gift usually a basket of fruit. Once they entered the residents home they would grill the resident to learn as much as possible about them. The conversation appeared to be small talk but was actually a script designed to squeeze as much information out of the resident possible. Welcome Wagon then sold these reports to those that subscribed to Welcome Wagon Reports.
Verizon's technology can be applied to any Set Top Box, it does not have to be a DVR. If you think you can place tape over the camera lens to block their snooping, all they have to do is make the camera the remote control receiver.
Trying to defuse the anger in the Trayvon Martin case.
I live 25 Miles from Sanford Florida and am very concerned that the Trayvon Martin case may eventually lead to rioting if George Zimmerman is found not guilty. I have tried to start a dialog in the Trayvon Martin section of Huffington Post to defuse the anger. Any comments about the case are either not shown or immediately deleted after being posted. Several of my comments have been Faved only to be deleted. All that is posted is the columns are incendiary language between the pro Trayvon Martin faction and the pro George Zimmerman faction. The first thing that must be done is to discredit the people who are instigating the incendiary rhetoric. The Huffington Post seems to be trying to keep the anger alive rather than quelling it. Any criticism of the race baiters and haters agitating their base is deleted.
This is nothing new. I still remember that during the Olympic games in Atlanta in 1986 the Olympic committee sued a restaurant named the Olympic something to force them to change their name. The restaurant had been in business for I believe longer than the one in Philadelphia and the name was registered by owner as a trademark. The problem was that like the victims of copyright trolls the restaurant owner could not afford the cost to defend the good name of his restaurant. The restaurant owner should have sued the Olympic Committee and demanded that they change their name. Remember the financially strong can always beat up the financially weak.
I fully agree that smart TV's are not so smart. Years ago, when consumers purchase their DirectTV and Dish Network Receivers, Sony manufactured a large screen projection TV with built in Direct TV receiver.
In mid 2005 I was looking for a home in Central Florida. I always asked the homeowner the availability of Cable TV and Broadband and how they received pay TV. I noticed that one homeowner had one of those Projection TV's with a built in Direct TV Receiver and a Direct TV receiver on the top of the set. I asked why the DirectTV receiver on the top of the set. He stated that he used the receiver in the set for a while but the receiver in the set would not work with the new Multi-Satellite DirectTV system, so he had to use an external receiver. Therefore Smart TV not so smart!
Megaupload: If the MPAA Government Puppets read the BetaMax decision by the Supreme Court they might have gotten it through their corrupt skulls that Megaupload conformed to that precedent. Just like the VCR, Megaupload had both infringing and non infringing uses. The Supreme Court found in favor of Sony because of the non infringing uses. Why doesn't the same law apply to Megaupload?
Silicon Valley: Since the BetaMax decision the RIAA and MPAA cartel has developed psychotic delusions that everyone is stealing their stuff. Each time new technology is developed the cartel requires that more draconian copyright protection be applied to the new technology. Compare the copyright protection applied to DVD's and Blue Ray DVD's. Silicon Valley has been a victim of this psychosis. Hardware developers fear that the copyright cartel will withdraw content for their hardware. The cartel trashed Sony, by refusing to release new movies in Beta format until long after they were released in VHS format. Consumers stopped buying BetaMax VCR'a and started buying VHS VCR's.
Remember when the DVD was developed. The Copyright Mafia refused to release any content until copyright protection was developed for the DVD. In reality even though the movie studios state in their advertisements of a movie "Own It Today" in reality the purchase price is a one time right to use fee and consumers do not really own the content the movie studio retains ownership. Then of course there was the prosecution of that kid in Sweden, under the DCMA, for creating the DVD copyright protection decode and publishing it.
On the post: The DVR That Watches You Back: Verizon Applies For 'Ambient Action' Detecting Device Patent
The DVR that watches you back.
Verizon's technology can be applied to any Set Top Box, it does not have to be a DVR. If you think you can place tape over the camera lens to block their snooping, all they have to do is make the camera the remote control receiver.
On the post: HuffPost Moderates Comments To Please Advertisers [Updated: Or Not]
Trying to defuse the anger in the Trayvon Martin case.
On the post: US Olympic Committee Forces 30 Year Old Philidelphia Gyro Restaraunt To Change Its Name
Same old Olympic Committee abuse.
On the post: Smart TVs: Not Such A Smart Idea
Smart TV a Failure!
In mid 2005 I was looking for a home in Central Florida. I always asked the homeowner the availability of Cable TV and Broadband and how they received pay TV. I noticed that one homeowner had one of those Projection TV's with a built in Direct TV Receiver and a Direct TV receiver on the top of the set. I asked why the DirectTV receiver on the top of the set. He stated that he used the receiver in the set for a while but the receiver in the set would not work with the new Multi-Satellite DirectTV system, so he had to use an external receiver. Therefore Smart TV not so smart!
On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
Megaupload, Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley: Since the BetaMax decision the RIAA and MPAA cartel has developed psychotic delusions that everyone is stealing their stuff. Each time new technology is developed the cartel requires that more draconian copyright protection be applied to the new technology. Compare the copyright protection applied to DVD's and Blue Ray DVD's. Silicon Valley has been a victim of this psychosis. Hardware developers fear that the copyright cartel will withdraw content for their hardware. The cartel trashed Sony, by refusing to release new movies in Beta format until long after they were released in VHS format. Consumers stopped buying BetaMax VCR'a and started buying VHS VCR's.
Remember when the DVD was developed. The Copyright Mafia refused to release any content until copyright protection was developed for the DVD. In reality even though the movie studios state in their advertisements of a movie "Own It Today" in reality the purchase price is a one time right to use fee and consumers do not really own the content the movie studio retains ownership. Then of course there was the prosecution of that kid in Sweden, under the DCMA, for creating the DVD copyright protection decode and publishing it.
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