( non ton-foil hat version ) AT&T is diversifying their profit engines. It is quite likely you'll see them sell off the wire line side of the company in the near future. The acquisition of Direct TV is most likely how they will offset any profit loss of said wire line sale. ( long term ) Though, in an era where record numbers of folks are cutting their ties to both Cable TV and satellite programming, I'm not sure if the outcome will remain positive for very long without some major changes in how the satellite service is offered.

Says the AC who probably isn't old enough to drive and thus enjoy the experience of being charged 3x normal price for " Certified " parts at the local dealership.

This is about locking down their future business model.

No one but Dealer Certified folks will be allowed to even LOOK at the software running the car. Anyone pointing out vulnerabilities and zero-days will be charged with everything under the sun because recalls cost a lot of money. I mean, we can always count on the manufacturers to do the right thing when it comes to safety right ? ( cough *ignition switch issues*, cough *toyotas phantom acceleration issues*, cough *Fords randomly catching fire*, cough *Bridgestone tires* )

Absolutely ! Because lives always > profits ! lol

Disallow in flight Wi-Fi. Problem solved.

We've flown for years without it, never had an issue. Try reading or something. . . . it works. . lol

You know the companies aren't going to disclose any security vulnerabilities since it would cost them to ground the planes. Many times you'll get ignored when trying to bring an important issue to light. This is because Profit > Safety. Only when Fines / Lawsuits > Profit do recalls happen and problems get fixed.

If you can't get the owners of the Airlines to fix their problem, a better way to make it happen is to get folks with more authority involved. Hence: The FBI.

NOW, the issue will get the microscope and spotlight treatment. NOW, if a vulnerability does exist, the Airlines WILL get it fixed or their planes will get grounded for them. Maybe they'll actually start taking folks seriously from now on. . . . but I doubt it.

Cheating is rampant in all things anymore.

He's a grandmaster until he gets caught cheating. Until then, he dominates the field and the pressure is on for others to cheat as well just so the playing field is level. ( The Tour De France comes to mind, as does US Baseball's Steroid issue, Online Gaming / Gambling, Standardized Tests ( like the SAT, ACT, Bar exam, etc. etc. )

It makes it impossible to compete unless you're bending the rules also.

Makes you wonder of all the "winners" out there, what percentage of them made it to that pedestal legitimately ?

What you guys seem perfectly happy with is one provider owning everything and charging monopoly prices because your other choice is not having it and fuck you. I really don't understand how any of the US public can be for that. It's just as baffling as when a bunch of you lost your shit because the government wanted to offer universal health care to poor people. But we forget good health, like utilities apparently is a privilege not a right in the US, self proclaimed bastion of good and righteousness, that's only for the rich though, everyone else can fuck off.

A misconception I think. No one is really happy with it, unless you're one of the companies who benefit from it. The problem is, while the voice of the people can be quite loud when it wants to be, the voice of the corporations who keep all of our elected officials well funded are a lot louder. You've heard the saying " Money talks " right ? Yeah. . . they have infinitely more money available to buy legislation than we do.

We would prefer serious competition in the broadband sector. Unfortunately, thanks to our corruptible leadership, we still have Monopolies ( even if regional ) who wield total control over vast areas and can set the rules and prices as they see fit. They're easy to spot, as are the Rent-A-Congressmen they control. Just look for those leading the charge against the new Title II Regulations.

As for the Universal Health Care bit, we don't really have it. What we have is a Universal Insurance Plan with piss poor coverage. We don't really want nor need another Insurance Policy to keep up with. What we need is for someone with authority to reign in the Medical Industries ability to set the prices of healthcare well into the ludicrous end of the spectrum. You fix or regulate what they can charge and it becomes easier to implement a healthcare system that could cover everyone with a simple minor tax increase. ( Or, you know, maybe reallocate some of the defense spending we really don't need ) Unfortunately, the same idiots in charge bork it up for everyone because, just like the Corporations in the Telecom sector, HealthCare is big business. As such, they also bribe . . er . . . contribute campaign donations to the same group of idiots running this country which is why their voice is heard over everyone else and why it's Business as Usual over here.

Trust me when I tell you that the government we have, is definitely not the government we want. The problem is, the corruption is now so engrained within the system, the only way to fix it would be to burn it down and rebuild it from scratch.

People still listen to the radio ?

Why ?

I turned it off years ago after tiring of hearing the same music over and Over and OVER again. You can damn near set your watch between the time you hear a particular song and the next time you hear it. Repeatable throughout the day. EVERY DAY. :|

Hell, for that matter, I don't even listen to commercialized music anymore. It's all homogenized and built around a template designed to make the studios as much money as possible. The audio is highly compressed and pushed to clipping limits across the entire waveform. If nothing else, the internet has given me the opportunity to listen to music that isn't part of the forced popularity program that the radio stations have turned into.

Not terribly different than the non-intelligent weapons we already deploy.

Take mines ( both the land and sea variety ) for example. A human deployed them ( or made the decision to deploy them ) and they pretty much just sit around until someone crosses paths with it. At least the autonomous version can have some logic built into it to discriminate against its targets.

If Israel nukes half of it the chances of peace ( at least for a little while ) are actually pretty good. :|

In all seriousness though, that region has been killing each other since before history began recording it. It's not gonna stop anytime soon unless all the players are sub-atomic particles floating about the atmosphere . . . .

One of our many Constitutional Amendments already has a solution for that possibility.

They're not going to. In fact, they are likely going to sell all of the copper plant off.

A PUC complaint fixes both that humming problem and Frontier's motivation to fix said problem very quickly btw.

They take a lot more than you realize.

Unless you're actively masking them, they know what IP you're coming from. Your OS, etc. Their database can run a lookup and determine what your likes / dislikes are based on your browsing habits to other sites where their trackers reside. By visiting YouTube, you are simply giving them even more information about what you like / dislike.

So, I assure you, they are coming out of this a bit rosier than you give them credit for.

Don't believe it ? Turn all your counter-measures off and see how long it takes before you start seeing targeted ads.

Does that information survive a protocol or codec conversion ?

EG: .mov -> .mp4

Because the only way the entire event gets the level of inspection it deserves is to make sure EVERYONE knows about it. Similar reasoning as to why transparency in government is so important.