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Communications

How Jobs Played Hardball In iPhone Birth 479

Posted by kdawson
from the my-customer-dammit dept.
Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "Apple bucked the rules of the cellphone industry when creating the iPhone by wresting control away from normally powerful wireless carriers, the Wall Street Journal reports. From the article: 'Only three executives at the carrier, which is now the wireless unit of AT&T Inc., got to see the iPhone before it was announced. Cingular agreed to leave its brand off the body of the phone. Upsetting some Cingular insiders, it also abandoned its usual insistence that phone makers carry its software for Web surfing, ringtones and other services... Mr. Jobs once referred to telecom operators as "orifices" that other companies, including phone makers, must go through to reach consumers. While meeting with Cingular and other wireless operators he often reminded them of his view, dismissing them as commodities and telling them that they would never understand the Web and entertainment industry the way Apple did, a person familiar with the talks says.'"
Christmas Cheer

Journal: 2007 5

Journal by sulli
Finally! Am I the only one who has been thinking in 2007 for weeks if not months?

In any case, happy new year, all, and happy new beer to all who enjoy that sort of thing!

The Media

Journal: Zakaria on Iraq 4

Journal by sulli
The always insightful Fareed Zakaria on what we should do in Iraq: secure Kurdistan, fight Al Qaeda, and contain rather than pretend to prevent sectarian violence while the Sunnis and Shiites fight it out. Korea is cited as an example - I would also include Bosnia which is peaceful now after the Dayton accords.
United States

+ - Troops in Iraq to see real 'Friday Night Lights'

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes "Soldiers based at Camp Al Asad in Iraq will get a little taste of home on Friday when a classic West Texas high school football game is beamed live to them via videoconference using gear from the Freedom Calls Foundation, Tandberg and AT&T. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/110206-frida y-night-lights-beamed-live-to-iraq.html"
Technology (Apple)

+ - Boing Boing: Apple Drops Trusted Computing

Submitted by
macs4all
macs4all writes "Amit Singh has a fascinating technical article on Apple's use, non-use, and ultimate abandonment of the Trusted Platform Module (TPM). This is the core of the Trusted Computing initiative, a chip that can, depending on implementation, be used to lock you out of reading your own data on "unauthorized" applications, to allow network service providers to discriminate against users of alternative software (e.g., "You're using Firefox — go get Explorer and come back") and enforce DRM — Singh reports that Apple has dropped the TPM from its motherboard designs, with the new MacPros. Singh had created a free software driver for the TPM under OS X that allowed users to exploit its privacy features."
Upgrades

Journal: Soriano

Journal by sulli
The Nationals did the right thing in keeping Alfonso Soriano rather than trading him. He's been a real asset to the team and - importantly - is getting butts into seats in creaky old RFK. And I get to see him tomorrow when he comes to SF!

"A dirty mind is a joy forever." -- Randy Kunkee

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