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Archive for the 'technology' Category

Where in the world is Yahoo RSS?

Although he would prefer me to install a news aggregator, Steve told me back in September about the launch of Yahoo! RSS feeds.

“Woo-hoo!” I thought and the first day I set it up was great. After the first day, though, I noticed that the entries never updated. Thinking maybe I screwed something up, I clicked “edit,” but that led me to a blank page. Well, at least I could still use it as a sort of backward, inconvenient bookmark list.

While early on the blogs block often wouldn’t show up, now it is completely MIA. What gives, Yahoo?

catbird :: Nov.19.2003 :: technology :: Comments Off

F.C.C. Acts Against Pirating of TV Broadcasts

Yesterday, the FCC approved rules that would insert a digital marker into the data stream being transmitted. The goal is to block people from sharing movies and TV shows recorded from their televisions. Officials say that the technology will allow people to record for their personal use, just not share.

Consumer groups are concerned:

“More than 40 million DVD players in consumers’ homes today will not be able to play content they record on new ‘flagged’ devices, making them at least partially obsolete,” said Chris Murray, legislative counsel at Consumers Union. “Technology always marches on, but that’s normally because new devices offer consumers better features and more flexibility to woo buyers in the marketplace, not because government fiat has rendered a particular technology obsolete. This time, the F.C.C.’s ‘upgrade’ will be a downgrade for consumers.”

The rules may also make it impossible to share content that is in the public domain. As icing on the cake, the rules could allow technology to track the viewing habits of consumers.

Hopefully the government, businesses, and technology innovators will figure out effective ways to handle new technology and copyright issues soon. This certainly doesn’t seem like the answer.

catbird :: Nov.05.2003 :: technology :: Comments Off

“Hello” P2P photo sharing

Just when non-linear photo sharing had saved you from looking at your friend’s six wedding albums while she waits for you to comment on how stunning she looks in each one, Picasa gives us “Hello.” From the press blurb (and lifted from boingboing):

‘Hello’ opens an entirely new way of sharing photos with friends and family through it’s’ private Peer-to-Peer network. Through this live experience, users connected via the internet are able to instantaneously share photos, and provide each other with immediate feedback using ‘Hello’s’ chat function. ‘Hello’ simulates the experience of sitting down on the couch with a friend and showing them your photo album.

catbird :: Oct.23.2003 :: technology :: Comments Off

Googleholes

Steven Johnson over at Slate wrote an article about Google and so-called “Googleholes” in the system.

Unfortunately, his Googleholes 1 and 2 sound more like user error than “systemic problems” to me.

If you are looking for information on growing tulips, why would you search for “flowers” rather than “growing tulips“?

And if you are looking for information about regular old-fashioned apples and not apple computers or Fiona Apple, why wouldn’t you search for “old-fashioned apples,” “red delicious apples,” or even “McIntosh apples“?

Come now, Steven, are we really to believe that your inability to develop appropriate search phrases is a flaw in Google?

catbird :: Jul.17.2003 :: technology :: 2 Comments »