astanley218 - Slashdot User

Comment Re:BooHoo (Score 0) 789

by astanley218 on Tuesday June 09, 2009 @01:12AM (#28261735) Attached to: iPhone Users Angry Over AT&T Upgrade Policy

I thought the new policy was going to save me when my wife's iphone broke last fall. Except that when I read AT&T's announcement I found this:

San Antonio, Texas, March 31, 2008
Beginning on May 25, the company's new and renewing wireless customers who enter into one- or two-year service agreements will no longer be required to pay a single, flat early termination fee. Instead, that fee, which is $175, will be progressively lowered by $5 during each month, every month, for the term of the contract. (The single, flat ETF will continue to apply to new and renewing customers who enter into one- or two-year service agreements prior to May 25.)

So, for everyone who bought an iphone in the last 2 weeks the termination fee is only $175! The rest of us still have to pay what was on the contract the day we signed it.

Google NativeClient Security Contest 175

Posted by kdawson on Monday March 02, 2009 @08:10PM from the insert-favorite-salt-pun-here dept.

An anonymous reader writes "You may remember Google's NativeClient project, discussed here last December. Don't be fooled into calling this ActiveX 2.0 — rather than a model of trust and authentication, NaCl is designed to make dangerous code impossible by enforcing a set of a rules at load time that guarantee hostile code simply cannot execute (PDF). NaCl is still in heavy development, but the developers want to encourage low-level security experts to take a look at their design and code. To this end Google has opened the NativeClient Security Contest, and will award prizes topping out at $2^13 to top bug submitters. If you're familiar with low level security, memory segmentation, accurate disassembly of hostile code, code alignment, and related topics, do take a look. Mac, Linux, and Windows are all supported."

Uproar Over Netflix's New Instant Viewer 575

Posted by kdawson on Sunday March 01, 2009 @09:14PM from the one-way-beta dept.

almechist writes "Many Netflix customers are up in arms over the new instant-watch player powered by Microsoft's Silverlight. The official Netflix blog is full of complaints from users who decry not only the new player's quality but also the way it's being distributed, with many claiming they were deceived into downloading it. Once you opt for the new player, the old Windows Media based player won't function, not on any computer associated with the account. The new player is supposedly still beta, but NF members are strongly encouraged (some say tricked) by NF into the so-called 'upgrade,' which is permanent — there is no way to opt out. The marked decrease in video quality seen by those who have switched is perhaps not surprising, since the old player could utilize bit streams up to twice as fast as the new one, but this information is nowhere given out by NF. So far NF has been answering all complaints with variations on 'tough luck pal, you're stuck with it,' but many customers are so disgusted they're ready to cancel their NF membership. This could be a public relations disaster in the making for Netflix."

Is the Bar of Soap Tomorrow's Smarterphone? 141

Posted by timothy on Wednesday February 18, 2009 @05:00PM from the next-generation-uses-earwax-proximity dept.

Barence writes "Researchers at MIT have developed a gadget that knows whether you want to use it as a camera or smartphone, just by the way you're holding it. So, if you hold the device, dubbed the Bar of Soap, out in front of you like a camera it will automatically bring up an LCD viewfinder. However, if you then switch to holding it as you would a mobile phone, it will bring up a touchscreen keypad instead. The Bar of Soap utilises a three-axis accelerometer and 72 surface sensors to track the position of the user's fingers and its position."

Facebook's New Terms of Service 426

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday February 16, 2009 @10:05AM from the are-we-really-worried-about-this dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Chris Walters writes about Facebook's new terms of service. 'Facebook's terms of service (TOS) used to say that when you closed an account on their network, any rights they claimed to the original content you uploaded would expire. Not anymore. Now, anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later. Want to close your account? Good for you, but Facebook still has the right to do whatever it wants with your old content. They can even sublicense it if they want.'" Oh no! Now they'll be able to license your super flair goblin poke 25 tag history!

New Energy Efficiency Rules For TVs Sold In California 609

Posted by timothy on Wednesday January 07, 2009 @04:38PM from the free-markets-are-just-too-wacky-and-non-linear dept.

petehead writes "The LA Times reports on regulations expected to pass in 2009 that will not allow energy-inefficient TVs to be sold in the state. 'State regulators are getting ready to curb the growing power gluttony of TV sets by drafting the nation's first rules requiring retailers to sell only the most energy-efficient models, starting in 2011... The regulations would be phased in over two years, with a first tier taking effect on Jan. 1, 2011, and a more stringent, second tier on Jan. 1, 2013.'" According to the Energy Commission's estimates, purchasers of Tier 1-compliant TVs would shave an average of $18.48 off their residential electric bill in the first year of ownership.

Comment Re:Call your credit card company.... (Score 1) 593

by astanley218 on Sunday November 30, 2008 @10:50PM (#25939213) Attached to: Recourse For Poor Customer Service?

Unfortunately it might not be that simple. Most credit card terms I've read state the shipping address must be within 100-150 miles of the billing address. An overseas shipment might not be disputable.

US House Adopts New Third-Party Web Site Rules 49

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Friday October 03, 2008 @03:10PM from the more-information-not-a-bad-thing dept.

GovIT Geek writes to tell us that third-party websites will no longer be off limits for members of the US House, provided that they use it for "official purposes" and not personal, commercial, or campaign purposes. "The rules are seen by House Administration Chairman Robert Brady as a compromise between several proposals under consideration in recent months and are closely aligned with those circulated by the Senate Rules Committee last week. [...] 'These new guidelines are a step in the right direction for a Congress that has been behind the technological curve for too long,' Boehner said. 'By encouraging the use of emerging and established new media tools, Congress is sending the message that we want to speak to citizens, and receive feedback, in the most open and accessible manner possible.'"

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