Everyone wanted DRM-free music and EMI partnered with Apple to make it happen.
Now apparently it’s not being done right. Of course, we all knew that the account holder name and associated e-mail address was being stored in the DRM encrypted tracks. But somehow everyone seems to think that Apple was going to just cease to embed that because the song was DRM-free.
Ars Technica has a story up on this.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some data was being analyzed in aggregate, although Apple’s current privacy policy does not appear to allow for this. As with the dust-up over the mini-store, Apple should clarify what this embedded data is used for.
Give me a break. Sure, if the privacy policy states that Apple isn’t going to use the data for purchase analyization, then fine. But I would be willing to bet that the author of the story has at least one of those grocery store cards, or a gas station card, or even a driver’s license, that contains some sort of barcode or mag stripe on it. What exactly do you think the stores do with all that data on your purchasing habits? They analyze it for trends of course.
Chicken Little, the sky is not falling.
Another day, another off the wall saying.
So my father used to use the phrase “You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd” all the time when I was growing up. Until recently I never really cared what the origin was, I used the phrase and went on.
Recently, however, the subject of my unusual phrases came up at a luncheon for one of my student assistants that had just gotten a new job as a full time staff member in another department.
So, here’s the origin. The phrase comes from a song by Roger Miller entitled, strangely enough, You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd. For the complete lyris visit .
Many of us have played online games. Even more of us play them with the intent of socializing during the game with our fellow players.
However, there is another group of online gamers, the mute ones.
Ars Technica’s Opposable Thumbs journal has an interesting post concerning the online gamer segment that just wants to play against a human. They don’t have any interest in interacting outside of the regular game play itself.
I wonder how many gamers there are out the like this. Is there a market for a service that caters to those who only use the online games and online components to garner non-AI opponents?
From the Ars Technica story:
A Michigan man is being prosecuted for using a cafe’s free WiFi… from his car.
The Michigan law apparently bars you from accessing someone else’s network without their explicit authorization.
Seems to me that this is really getting out of hand. Where’s the law that says that the owner of the network has to secure it to prevent unauthorized access? Given the ease with which you can secure a network and still allow your customers access when they wish, I would think that this is a no-brainer.
Also, is there a law that says I can’t stand on the street corner, on the public sidewalk mind you (because I would hate to get arrested for loitering), and use the street lamp that the store is paying for to read a newspaper or book? Isn’t that unauthorized use of their electricity?
So apparently I am just way behind the times.
According to a news story at WashingtonPost.com, one girl ran her family Verizon Wireless bill to the tune of $1,100.
When I last upgraded my phone, about a month or so ago, the Cingular rep asked me if I wanted to add text messages to it. He seemed real surprised when I told him that I sent and received a total of 10 or 12 messages per month.
I guess I am just not hip enough.