Bens Tech Show – Ep #69 – Ban it, Steal it, Kill it

Written by Ben Straw

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:23:18 — 57.4MB)

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Co-hosts for this show

Barb from tanjents.com and Travis Pope from ZuneSpring.com

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Voice mail from John http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ926vaAMow

Comment from Jesus Via Twitter and iTunes
You want Mexicans to go back to Mexico when we were here first. You should go back to Europe or where ever your ancestors came from.

Comment from John Via Twitter
Hey Ben…just happen to be listening to your podcast about the iPad…a few minutes in, it’s good stuff!

News Story’s For This Week

Reminder: Windows 7 RC shutdowns start in a month
A Reminder for all the Windows 7 users still using the Release Candidate (build 7100) that was released to the public in May 2009. Bi-hourly shutdowns of this build will begin on March 1, 2010. This means that the user will be told to install a released version of Windows and their PC will shut down automatically every two hours. On June 1, 2010, if you are still on the Windows 7 RC, your license will expire and the non-genuine experience will be triggered. Your wallpaper will be removed and “This copy of Windows is not genuine” will be displayed in the lower right corner of your desktop, above the taskbar. Starting on February 15, 2010, Windows 7 RC should actually start giving daily prompts to remind you about the expiration, but just in case two weeks’ notice isn’t enough, we’re letting you know a month in advance.
If you want to continue using Windows 7, it is recommend moving over to the Windows 7 RTM (build 7600) that was released to the public in October 2009. Microsoft explained that this would happen when it gave out free copies of the beta (which has already expired) and RC builds, and you’ve had plenty of time to move over. If you haven’t reinstalled a final copy of Windows, do so as soon as possible so as to avoid problems in the next few weeks.

27-inch iMac production halted?
Apple has stopped production of its multi-troubled 27-inch iMac.
Or so say unnamed sources speaking to MacBidouille/HardMac. According to those sources, production of both the Core i5 and Core i7 models has been shut down entirely. The Core 2 Duo versions of Apple’s top-of-the-line all-in-one were not mentioned.

Google to kill IE6
Google is continuing to kill off support for Internet Explorer 6 in its services; the search giant has announced that two more of its Web properties will stop supporting IE6 as of March 1. “Many other companies have already stopped supporting older browsers like Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers,” a blog post on the Official Google Enterprise Blog begins to explain. “We’re also going to begin phasing out our support, starting with Google Docs and Google Sites. As a result you may find that from March 1 key functionality within these products — as well as new Docs and Sites features — won’t work properly in older browsers.” Older browsers, according to Google, include anything prior to IE7, Firefox 3.0, Chrome 4.0, and Safari 3.0.

Google: We’ll pay $500 to $1,337 for every security bug you find in Chrome
In an attempt to minimize security vulnerabilities in its Web browser, Google has announced a new program that could earn you a few bucks. The search giant is paying between $500 and $1,337 per security flaw found in either Chrome or Chromium.

Man faces 20 years in prison for selling hacked Comcast cable modems
26-year-old Matthew Delorey, was selling hacked Comcast cable modems that enabled users to obtain free Internet access. The hacker modified the modems’ MAC address so that it would appear as another modem, one whose owner was paying for Internet access. What finally did him in was selling the hacked modems VIA Craigslist, and other means and finely selling two of the modified modems to undercover FBI agents.

Walmart and Best Buy Give Up on Used Games Business
In May, Walmart began accepting trade-ins through the E-Play machines at 77 locations throughout the northeast. Then in June, several Best Buy locations in Texas began taking trade ins. Both programs worked, but neither generated enough business to be profitable.

MPAA wants Grandmother kicked off the net for file sharing nothing
Greg Sandoval, over at News.com recently came across a grandmother who was falsely accused multiple times of file sharing, and her ISP, Qwest, was threatening to kick her off the internet. We had not heard that Qwest had signed on with a “three strikes” program, so it’s a bit of news that it’s one of the companies who will accept bogus accusations. Not only that, but Qwest even told her that no other provider would grant her service because Qwest would let those other service providers “know her name and what she did.” Thanks, Qwest!
So the only way she got Qwest to back down was because Sandoval and News.com became interested in the story and convinced Qwest to look deeper.

PETA Wants Groundhog Replaced with Robot
File this under “strange but true.” Apparently one of PETA’s latest projects is an attempt to save Punxsutawney Phil from the cruel and unusual treatment of being forced to see his shadow (or not) every February 2. They believe that the ceremony is “traumatizing and stressful” for the groundhog, and that he should be replaced by a robot.

China Using Freebie Flash Drives to Spy on Britain
UK security agency MI5 has issued a warning regarding freebie flash drives and cameras. Apparently Chinese spies are handing them out to UK businessmen in hopes of infecting their computers with trojans and gaining access to corporate secrets.

55in TV’s are illegal! The super bowl police will get you
Did you know that you can’t watch the Super Bowl on a TV screen larger than 55 inches? Yeah, it’s right there in the law.

US Code Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 110 is called “Limitations on exclusive rights: exemption of certain performances and displays,”

and it lays out 12 of these exemptions to copyright restrictions. Are 55+ inch TVs mentioned specifically? They certainly are.
TV broadcasts and movie showings can only be displayed so long as “no such audiovisual device has a diagonal screen size greater than 55 inches, and any audio portion of the performance or display is communicated by means of a total of not more than 6 loudspeakers.” So there it is in black and white—a ban on big TVs!

Cartoon porn will get you jailtime in AU
If you live in Australia, however, you may want to take extra care that your porn stash doesn’t contain cartoon imagery of children. A man in Australia was recently convicted for possessing pornographic images depicting characters from The Simpsons and The Powerpuff Girls, and is now a registered sex offender.

Handheld Cellphone Bans Don’t Reduce Car Crashes After All
According to a study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, hand-held phone bans have no effect on the frequency of car crashes.

Month-to-month fluctuations in rates of collision claims in jurisdictions with bans didn’t change from before to after the laws were enacted. Nor did the patterns change in comparison with trends in jurisdictions that didn’t have such laws.

Honestly, this makes some sense, given that it’s not phones themselves that are the problem, but the distraction they cause. There are plenty of other legal methods of taking your eyes off the road, and a hands-free conversation isn’t necessarily any safer than one where you’ve got your phone in your hand.

Armatix handgun can only be fired by someone wearing the correct watch
This seems like a really good idea. A German company called Armatix has developed a handgun that can only be fired by someone wearing a biometrically unlocked wrist watch. An LED light on the gun glows green if it’s set to be fired or red if it’s locked. Barny thinks its a good idea, at least be wont shoot his toe off LOL.

Poll

Last Poll:
Should we be allowed to use video cameras with audio in public?
100% Said Oh hell Yes
This months Poll is;
Do you text or talk on a phone with out a hands free device while driving