Whenever I'm behind on my rent (or motorcycle, van, boat or long-distance payments), I tell them "the check's in the mail." I could also claim that the e-mail is in the mail, at least if it was a Microsoft Instant Message. Some people went nearly a week waiting for MSN to restore service.
Meanwhile, Napster took itself down when a new system that was supposed to block copyrighted materials instead blocked everything in sight. I'm sad to say that perhaps it's time to stick a fork in this puppy.
Privacy Down the Toidy
I never liked it when my mother read my diary, and I don't like it when companies spy on workers. But by the latest count, companies are snooping on about a third of U.S. employees. Are we that paranoid about proprietary information, which leaks out anyway? Are we so vigilant about sexual harassment that we look for it everywhere, even in the inner reaches of workers’ browsers and hard drives? Do we have nothing better to do with our networks?
Privacy wonks, already reeling from the sheer scope of spying, must be spinning in their upholstered chairs over the news from Colorado. The state that can't even find the killer of JonBenet will spare no expense when it comes to uncovering fake IDs. The Motor Vehicle Division is mapping drivers' faces to make sure they match previous photos. The system is so smart it would recognize me, even though I've gained wrinkles, a goatee and 27 pounds.
Meanwhile, Tampa appears to be backing off a plan to video tape bar hoppers,
comparing their faces to a database of fugitives' mug shots. Mobster Whitey Bulger look-alikes were quaking in their flip-flops over this one.
And lastly, Acme Rent-A-Car of Rhode Island (the one that provides all the
autos for Wily Coyote) is tracking drivers by satellite. If the fuzz don't catch you speeding, Acme will -- and will fine you $150 each time they catch you going too fast. Tell me, if I speed the entire time, does that count as a single infraction?
Enquiring Minds at Yahoo Want to Know
Are you just jonesing for targeted ads to pop up in your browser? If so, all you have to do is give Yahoo a whole heap of personal info, and the portal giant will flood you with ads for anything from beer and NASCAR to Ex-Lax. Does that mean I can get rid of the omnipresent X10 video camera pop-up?
EMC Drives Profits Down Hard
Storage behemoth EMC will be a little smaller than expected this quarter. Sales will be nearly a half billion dollars less than originally anticipated, and profits will fall commensurately. The shortfall prompts some interesting questions: Do enterprises have less to store? Are they finding cheaper gear from other vendors or buying less excess capacity? Or are prices of all storage falling that fast?
These are intimidating times for EMC. The major shift to IP and Ethernet opens the door for hot new companies. Will EMC be this decade's DEC? And on another note, EMC is still doing legal battle with Network Appliance (which hired
away a former EMC project leader) over the name of this little project, "NetApps Killer." Sounds like both companies have a reason to go to court.
Doug Barney is Editor-in-Chief at Network Computing. Send your comments on this article to him at dbarney@nwc.com.
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