Keeping the internet neutral

I've just read some disturbing news in regards to the future of the internet. It seems there are many forces at work trying to stipulate harsh controls and regulations upon the web, including (unsurprisingly) our own government. You have good old John McCain stating that a neutral internet is one that isn't truly free but controlled by the government (read on). Of course, while he is trying to paint current FCC regulations as part of a Socialist take-over of the web, the telecoms and cable companies are contributing to his campaign coffers.

Sadly, the attacks on Net Neutrality are not free from attacks on the Left, either. The Obama Administration is working hard to rewrite copyright laws that would stifle the web as we know it. Worse yet, they have been trying to keep it secret. Check out Michael Geist's fine article on the subject for an in depth look at what has been going on over in South Korea that could dramatically affect the way the internet operates.

If you don't think this is serious, I encourage you to read more about the subject of Net Neutrality.

post-rad.com is live and postrad.blogspot.com is feeling neglected.

So I have been busy creating post-rad.com, which involved a lot of tough decisions. The initial site I envisioned was going to be a much larger affair. I, hoping to avoid turning my own portfolio page into a quagmire, pruned the whole project to the more stream-lined site that you now see. One of the big choices was to keep the blog off for now.

That doesn't mean that the blog isn't going to be maintained. It is. In fact, it will be brought into the pantheon of the post-rad.com domain in the future. For now, postrad the blog will continue its merry existence hosted by our good friends Google. When Google takes over the world we hope they remember how much we appreciated them. Hail Google!

I have nothing to add to this post, other than this:

Worst. Sidekick. Ever.

So for those of you who thought Scrappy-Doo was a terrible sidekick, think again.



Microsoft's cloud server support of T-Mobile's Sidekick went down earlier this week, and they lost all of their user's personal data. Yup, all of it. Pictures, emails, contacts, calendars, everything. And they apparently didn't back it up, so it is as gone as gone can be.

How bad is it? I mean, the Sidekick was one of the world's leading smart phones. It was one of the hippest devices to own once-upon-a-time. And according to Seth Weintraub over at computerworld.com, the device is as good as dead.

To all the Sidekick users out there, I send my sincerest condolences. I think it may be time to buy a new smart phone. Or maybe it is time to play things safe and just go back to the LAN line.

Or you can seek out one of these sleek looking "vintage" cell phones

UPDATE! Conan made a comment worthy of reprinting in the main post regarding this Sidekick fail. Looks like Microsoft managed to fix things with that limited budget of theirs:

"Data recovery was possible it turns out. You can follow that end of the story here: http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/09/10/15/1855200/MS-Says-All-Sidekick-Data-Recovered-But-Damage-Done?art_pos=1

Thanks Conan.

Ow.

I fell down after nailing a pot hole that was hiding in a puddle on my trusty (and rusty) Le Tour Wednesday Night. It was a good thing I was wearing a helmet, because I would have gotten a little love tap from mother earth had I not. Unfortunately, I strained my right wrist, not bad enough that I can't use it to type, just bad enough to make riding my bike uncomfortable.

Whattya do.

Bad news for Paypal

I don't know about you, but I use Paypal regularly. I've been paid by clients with Paypal, and eBay just wouldn't be eBay without the convenience of Paypal. Of course, using an online service to access your bank to eith deposit or withdraw money is something that could make a person a little uncomfortable. Heck, it could even make you a bit paranoid. Well, like Joseph Heller once wrote, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you. Sadly, the case is true with Paypal.

The link below will take you to an article that discusses how a Windows-based vulnerability allows hackers to use a false SSL certificate (a special encryption that is supposed to keep people from snooping through your private info after you hit the "send" button) to steal your information. Awesome. Just what you wanted to hear, right?

The link.

Oh, if you are using a Mac or a Linux-based machine, you're fine. Which isn't a big surprise, now is it?

Another fun (and pointless) Flash piece

Check it out!

Blogger, you've been swell...

I'm in the process of switching over to a Wordpress blog for the new and improved Postrad site and just wanted to say thanks to Blogger. You are a fine blog platform. But it is time to grow up and I need my space.