The Struggle for Net Freedom. This is an issue that affects you directly.  Read up on it.  Let your voice be heard.

From Popular Science web site:

What if the Internet were like cable television, with Web sites grouped like channels into either basic or premium offerings? What if a few big companies decided which sites loaded quickly and which ones slowly, or not at all, on your computer? Welcome to the brave new Web, brought to you by Verizon, Bell South, AT&T and the other telecommunications giants (including PopSci’s parent company, Time Warner) that are now lobbying Congress to block laws that would prevent a two-tiered Internet, with a fast lane for Web sites able to afford it and a slow lane for everyone else.

Specifically, such companies want to charge Web sites for the speedy delivery of streaming video, television, movies and other high-bandwidth data to their customers. If they get their way (Congress may vote on the matter before the year is out), the days of wide-open cyberspace are numbered.As things stand now, the telecoms provide the lines—copper, cable or fiber-optic—and the other hardware that connects Web sites to consumers. But they don’t influence, or profit from, the content that flows to you from, say, cinemanow.com; they simply supply the pipelines. In effect, they are impartial middlemen, leaving you free to browse the entire Internet without worrying about connection speeds to your favorite sites.

That looks set to change. In April a House subcommittee rejected a measure by Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts that would have prevented telecoms from charging Web sites extra fees based on bandwidth usage. The telecom industry sees such remuneration as fair compensation for the substantial cost of maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure that makes high-bandwidth services, such as streaming video, possible. Christopher Yoo, a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, argues that consumers should be willing to pay for faster delivery of content on the Internet, just as many FedEx customers willingly shell out extra for overnight delivery. “A regulatory approach that allows companies to pursue a strategy like FedEx’s makes sense,” he says.

On a technical level, creating this so-called Internet fast lane is easy. In the current system, network devices called differentiated service routers prioritize data, assigning more bandwidth to, for example, an Internet telephone call or streaming video than to an e-mail message. With a tiered Internet, such routing technology could be used preferentially to deliver either the telecoms’ own services or those of companies who had paid the requisite fees.

What does this mean for the rest of us? A stealth Web tax, for one thing. “Google and Amazon and Yahoo are not going to slice those payments out of their profit margins and eat them,” says Ben Scott, policy director for Free Press, a nonprofit group that monitors media-related legislation. “They’re going to pass them on to the consumer. So I’ll end up paying twice. I’m going to pay my $29.99 a month for access, and then I’m going to pay higher prices for consumer goods all across the economy because these Internet companies will charge more for online advertising.”

Worse still, Scott argues, the plan stands to sour your Web experience. If, for instance, your favorite blogger refused to ante up, her pages would load more slowly on your computer than would content from Web sites that had paid the fees. Which brings up another sticking point: A tiered system would give established companies with deep pockets a huge competitive edge over cash-strapped start-ups consigned to slow lanes. “We have to remember that some of the companies that we now consider to be titans of the Internet started literally as guys in a garage,” Scott says.”That’s the beauty and the brilliance of the Internet, yet we’re cavalierly talking about tossing it out the window.”

Just when you are contemplating that new HDTV, the Japaneese are hard it work to make it obsolete.

NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories has demonstrated virtual satellite broadcasting of ultra-high definition (UHD) TV, which promises resolution 16 times higher than current high-definition images.

NHK terms the technology as Super HiVision featuring 7680×4320 pixel resolution with progressive scanning at 60 frames per second. STRL, the central laboratory of Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) showed off the images at the NAB show held in Las Vegas last month, using fiber optic cable for transmission.

Researchers brought the technology a step closer to reality by verifying signal transmission in a simulated satellite broadcasting and demonstrating it at the lab’s open house earlier this week.

PC World has come up with their list of what they think is the worst tech products of all time.  Your own personal favorite tech boondoggle may not have made their list, but the list has merrit. Here is the Top 10 (you’ll have to go read the whole story for the rest and the details):

1. America Online (1989-2006)
2. RealNetworks RealPlayer (1999)
3. Syncronys SoftRAM (1995)
4. Microsoft Windows Millennium (2000)
5. Sony BMG Music CDs (2005)
6. Disney The Lion King CD-ROM (1994)
7. Microsoft Bob (1995)
8. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (2001)
9. Pressplay and MusicNet 2002
10. Ashton-Tate dBASE IV (1988)

They also have a “(Dis)Honorable Mention” list.

Now if someone wants to come up with a list of the Top 25 companies with the worst customer service, I’d be happy to submit the following to get that started:

Comcast Cable

Earthlink

Verizon

IBM

lenovo

A U.S. District Court judge in New York gave final approval Monday to a settlement for music fans who purchased Sony BMG music CDs containing flawed copy protection programs.

“This settlement gets music fans what they thought they were buying in the first place: music that will play on all their electronic devices without installing sneaky software,” said Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Legal Director Cindy Cohn.

The claim process actually began back in February and provides anyone who purchased Sony BMG CDs that included First4Internet XCP and SunnComm MediaMax software with the same music without digital rights management (DRM). Some people are also eligible for additional downloads or a small cash settlement. Anyone who bought one of the affected CDs should start the claims process at http://www.eff.org/sony.

“Participating in the settlement is a way to show Sony BMG — and the entire entertainment industry — how important this issue is to you,” said Cohn. “If you take the time to claim the product you deserve, maybe other music labels will think twice before wrapping songs in DRM.”

The problems with the Sony BMG CDs surfaced last year when security researchers discovered that XCP and MediaMax installed undisclosed — and in some cases, hidden — files on users’ Windows computers, potentially exposing music fans to malicious attacks by third parties. The infected CDs also communicated back to Sony BMG about customers’ computer use without proper notification.

In addition to compensating consumers, Sony BMG was forced to stop manufacturing CDs with both First4Internet XCP and SunnComm MediaMax software. The settlement also waives several restrictive end user license agreement (EULA) terms and commits Sony BMG to a detailed security review process prior to including any DRM on future CDs.

This should come as no surprise -

Japan’s Canon Inc. said on Thursday that it would consider halting development of new film cameras as it focuses resources on digital models, the latest sign of the rapidly fading role of film in photography.

A spokesman at Canon, the world’s largest digital camera maker, said it would consider whether it needs to continue developing both compact and single lens reflex (SLR) film models because the markets for both are shrinking.

Canon said it would continue to produce and sell existing models and make a final judgment on the business in the future while monitoring market demand.

Canon’s statement follows an announcement earlier this year by rival Nikon Corp. that it would stop producing most of its film cameras, expect for a few professional products.

Konica Minolta Holdings Inc., meanwhile, has said it would exit the camera and photo film markets, where it has been losing money amid stiff competition and weak demand.

Researchers at eEye Digital Security have discovered a serious flaw in Symantec’s enterprise antivirus software that could be used by hackers to create a self-replicating “worm” attack against Symantec users.

Because Symantec has not yet confirmed the existence of the problem, much less patched it, eEye is offering few details on the vulnerability, which was first disclosed late Wednesday.

“This is definitely a wormable flaw,” said Mike Puterbaugh, eEye’s vice president of marketing. “It does allow you to take remote control of the system.”

Similar to viruses, worms are able to spread from computer to computer, and past attacks such as 2003’s Blaster and Slammer worms were widespread.

Symantec is evaluating eEye’s claims and “if necessary, will provide a prompt response and solution,” a Symantec spokesman said Thursday.

EEye Chief Hacking Officer Marc Maiffret believes that it will take Symantec a “month or two” to patch the problem. “The vulnerability is pretty straightforward for them to identify within their code,” he said.

Version 10 and greater of Symantec’s enterprise antivirus software is affected by the flaw, but the company’s consumer products do not have the bug, Maiffret said.

David Berlind at ZDNet writes about “Critical back door-like vulnerability exposes Symantec anti-virus users” here

Thanks to Chris Washkau for tipping me off to this!

Google said Wednesday that it has agreed to shut down some communities on its popular Orkut social networking site because the Brazilian government says they advocate violence and human rights violations.

Google agreed to shut down any sites that violate Orkut’s terms of service, which forbid “any illegal or unauthorized purpose,” after the company met Tuesday with a Brazilian human rights commission, which presented evidence that Brazilians have been using the invitation-only networking site to promote crimes and violence.

Orkut is extremely popular in Brazil with some 8 million users, representing about a quarter of all Brazilians who have access to the Internet.

In recent years, news reports have linked drug dealing operations and organized fights between soccer fans to Orkut communities. One community allegedly advocated killing the president and planting a bomb in Congress.

Those who want to send driving directions to friends or colleagues over the Internet have a new tool at their disposal.  In a move that experts are saying represents a real improvement, Microsoft has updated its Windows Live Local online-mapping service with several new features, including the ability to share maps customized with photos of specific landmarks and locations.

In additon to offering real-time traffic information through a new hookup with Traffic.com, Windows Live Local (available at http://local.live.com) now offers the ability to create and save lists of favorite locations within a map and share them via e-mail, blogs, or instant-messaging applications.

“The new Windows Live Local is definitely an improvement on the old version, which just provided a mapping tool,” said Charlene Li, an analyst at Forrester Research. “Now Microsoft has added some very valuable features, particularly the ability to create and save searches into a file known as a collection.”

“With the previous version of Windows Live Local, you could save maps on a short-term basis,” she said. “Now you can save maps for the long term, annotate them, and share them with other people.”

PC Magazine has a review of the new Motorola Q phone. They think it’s pretty good, albeit witha few bugs and an expensive data plan.

It’s the Q, the Motorola Q. The RAZR-thin Motorola Q is the coolest smartphone in America. It’s a terrific voice phone, a dandy music player, and a swell e-mail machine. Just be warned: Expensive service plans mean it isn’t as cheap as it appears.

The Q is an unusually wide (2.5 inches), very flat (0.5 inches thick) 4-ounce slab with a bright 320-by-240 screen and a raised, angled QWERTY keyboard. There’s a scroll wheel and button on the side, just like those on BlackBerry devices, and a five-way cursor pad above the keyboard, like the ones on Palm Treo handhelds. You can use both sets of keys for navigation, making the Q unusually convenient to use with one hand. A miniSD card slot sits on the edge opposite from the scroll wheel.

For voice quality, the Q is the best Verizon smartphone I’ve tested. Its reception comes close to the excellent RAZR V3c and Motorola E815. Sound through the earpiece, speakerphone, and Bluetooth headsets is unusually loud and clear; transmission is nearly flawless. VoiceSignal’s voice-dialing application, which works over Bluetooth headsets, is terrific. This is an excellent phone, plain and simple. Battery life, at 5 hours 25 minutes of continuous talk time, is good, on a par with that of the Palm Treo 700p.

Dell, the vendor that pioneered direct sales in the computer industry, announced plans this week to test its first full-size retail stores.

Continuing Dell’s direct-sales structure, the stores will not actually stock Dell products. Instead, they will offer consumers an opportunity to test the company’s wares, which include digital cameras, LCD televisions, and printers, in addition to PCs. Customers can order merchandise from the stores, over the phone, or from Dell’s Web site.

This move is not Dell’s first into the retail channel. The company operates 160 kiosks in U.S. malls and airports, a venture it started in 2002.

“The DNA of the business model stays the same for us,” says Dell spokesperson Venancio Figueroa. “We see these as extensions of the kiosks. The kiosks have performed well over time, and we want to experiment with a larger space.”

The world’s largest PC vendor will operate two 3000-square-foot stores that feature separate living room and home office areas and a gaming space. The stores will allow Dell to show many more products than its smaller 120-square-foot kiosks. The first store will open in Dallas between July and September, and the second location, in West Nyack, New York, will come online between August and October.