Sadly, the protocol didn't allow for identifying the codec used for the voice bits, so even if one wasn't concerned about interoperability with normal DSTAR radios, it's not possible as the DSTAR radios will try (and fail) to decode the voice data that's encoded using Codec2, but try to decode it in AMBE.

I think we need a newer protocol anyway that is much more supportive of mixed voice and data comms - the only way to send data with a DSTAR handheld is by keying up voice, wasting most of the bits, and sending slow-speed data along with the voice bits. It's really tragic if you ask me, such a waste.

Not possible to do in software because the only implementation is in a DSP chip that must be purchased from the vendor.

I have much less problem with the use of a proprietary codec (although I do wish Codec2 had been available at the time or a good allowance was made in the protocol for changing codecs) than I do with the fact that the only implementation possible is in hardware. It very much limits flexibility in open-hardware and computer-based implementations relating to the protocol. Such a waste.

People keep wishing that other manufactures would implement DSTAR hardware - I hope they don't, as I'd like to see it replaced with something much more open, or at least flexible. As well, support for data transmissions was implemented very badly and IMHO as implemented it's a waste of bandwidth, because it should have much better data transmission support.

Um, actually, Jared A. Bruegman, ex-KC0IQN, of Bolivar, Missouri, was given a $10,000 Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL, FCC-speak for "you've been a bad boy, pay up") just a couple of months ago.

Info here.

No kidding. I consulted for a few days in Batesville, Indiana a few years back, and flew into (and out of) Cincinnatti, which was on DST while eastern Indiana was not. Luckily I left quite early for the trip back home, because I lost an hour on the drive! Easily could have missed my flight because of all this stupidity.

Count me in for completely getting rid of this madness. Crossing time zones I can keep track of, but not taking into account the fact that only half of one state doesn't feel like following the rules.

We just made changes to every system not so long ago when Bush decided to lengthen DST, and I don't recall the world ending. Now is a great time to do it while the experience is still fresh.

Or they did as of not very long ago at all - I had to recover my password on their site, and just about fell out of my chair when, instead of sending me a recovery link, they emailed me my current password.

Nowadays that password is a KeePass-generated random one.

Not a lot of change that I can see.

With IPv6, the smallest subnet that will be assigned is a /64 - meaning 64 bits of host addresses are possible within that subnet. Originally it was envisioned that those 64 bits would be the MAC address of the host, but people had a wee bit of a problem with that privacy-wise, for just this reason - exposing the MAC address of a system on the public Internet.

So, many, if not most, hosts nowadays choose a random value for their host ID, do the IPv6 equivalent of a gratuitous ARP to make sure it's not in use already (highly unlikely), and if not they use it. Many also change their address periodically by doing this again.

Nice advantage here: unless a given network is using DHCPv6 and logging the requests, this is all done on-the-fly with no logging and no discovery possible.

Wanna bet? VOIP + SWATting = win.

Dude, bad example.

If you were in that union, you would have noticed that 92% of your fellow workers voted against the company's offer.

Hell, on the OpenVMS side, it wouldn't shock me a bit to find out that they don't even HAVE a team any more that's capable of porting it to other architectures. They likely say they do, to fulfill government contracts that specify that OpenVMS can't be orphaned, but I wonder what the reality is.

And I believe Lincoln is actually the largest city in Nebraska on Cornhuskers game days.

I kid, but it's close. You do NOT want to drive on Interstate 80 when most of Omaha is driving to Lincoln for the game.

Funny and true! Their name servers show as domaincontrol.com, which is, in fact, GoDaddy.

wondering how long it will be before Apple has its own armed forces, but...

This would probably be a good place to start.