After delays, delays, and rumors of more delays, the era of Windows XP has finally reached its final hours. Microsoft has made it official: Monday, June 30 will be the last day Microsoft sells XP to the masses. In fact, some companies have already stopped offering XP as an option on new machines as they prep for the switchover.
Earlier rumors that Microsoft might extend the sales date have proven untrue, as Microsoft has reiterated that, indeed, June 30 will be the final sales date cut-off for the product. That's it. It's a Vista world now.
Loopholes will remain for some PC makers for some months to come, namely those who are building ultra-low-cost computers that aren't powerful enough for Vista. (Though some machines in this class, like HP's Mini-Note, actually come with Vista anyway.) For at least the rest of the year, downgrades remain an option for many PC purchasers too, though you'll have to jump through some hoops, and possibly pay extra, in order to get XP.
As I've written several times (and reassured many of you in email responses), XP fans needn't panic about the loss of XP. Even if you don't have a copy on hand, the product will be available through many channels for years to come (and likely forever), through both retail outlets and the aftermarket. As I type this, nearly 1,000 copies of XP are on sale on eBay, where they usually sell for less than $100.
In other news, Microsoft has recently pledged to keep supporting XP, including the release of security updates, all the way through 2014. So XP users needn't fret that you'll suddenly be victimized by hackers due to unpatched security flaws. Updates should work exactly as you're used to them currently through the Windows Update system.
Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/96295
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
3 Ada County residents charged with sexually exploiting teen girl, advertising her on Craigslist
Three Treasure Valley residents accused of taking sexually exploitative pictures of a 15-year-old girl and then using popular Web site Craigslist to advertise her for prostitution are all being held in jail Thursday morning.
Douglas A. Winberry, 50, of Meridian; Colby R. Watson, 36; and Lindsey J. McKeehan, 23, of Boise, are all charged with lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16, sexual exploitation of a child, possession of sexually exploitative material, and inducing a person under the age of 18 into prostitution.
Watson and McKeehan are in the Ada County Jail. Winberry is being held in the Benton County Jail, near Prosser, Wash., where Meridian police say he fled to to avoid arrest after he discovered detectives were searching his home in the 2000 block of Cool Creek Avenue earlier this week.
Watson and McKeehan were arrested Wednesday at the Ada County Courthouse.
Colby R. Watson
Lindsey Jo McKeehan
Meridian police began investigating the case June 19 after getting a tip that Winberry had pictures of a girl, under the age of 16, in various sexual poses on a CD at his Cool Creek Avenue home. Police searched Winberry’s home and found evidence that he was engaging in sexual acts with the girl and that he advertised her for prostitution on Craigslist.
Detectives also found evidence that the girl previously had been used in the same way by McKeehan and Watson — that the couple had taken pictures and video of the girl engaged in sexual acts with both of them and advertised her for prostitution on Craigslist, a free classified advertising Web site.
When detectives searched their home in the 11000 block of West Raul Street, near Columbia and Cloverdale roads in south Boise, they found more evidence. An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Winberry, and officers arrested McKeehand and Watson as they developed probable cause in the case, police officials said.
Meridian Police Lt. Bob Stowe said detectives found evidence that McKeehan, Watson and Winberry all knew each other but did not disclose the nature of the relationship or whether they met through Craigslist.
Stowe also said detectives were still investigating how the adults knew the girl. There is no allegation that the girl was forced to have sexual contact with the three adults.
While there was definite evidence of advertising for prostitution in the case, Stowe said detectives were still working on whether any prostitution took place or where it may have happened. Stowe said there is evidence that at least some the exploitative images and videos found were recorded at the two homes.
Winberry was arrested in the Prosser area Tuesday night on the Meridian arrest warrant. Stowe said detectives figured out that was where he likely went and contacted Prosser police Tuesday once the warrant was issued. Winberry was arrested without incident and is being held in the Benton County Jail on a $1 million warrant.
McKeehan and Watson are being held in the Ada County Jail, each on a $750,000 bond, and will make their initial court appearance later Thursday.
The maximum possible penalty for lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16 is life in prison.
Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/235/story/425859.html
Douglas A. Winberry, 50, of Meridian; Colby R. Watson, 36; and Lindsey J. McKeehan, 23, of Boise, are all charged with lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16, sexual exploitation of a child, possession of sexually exploitative material, and inducing a person under the age of 18 into prostitution.
Watson and McKeehan are in the Ada County Jail. Winberry is being held in the Benton County Jail, near Prosser, Wash., where Meridian police say he fled to to avoid arrest after he discovered detectives were searching his home in the 2000 block of Cool Creek Avenue earlier this week.
Watson and McKeehan were arrested Wednesday at the Ada County Courthouse.
Meridian police began investigating the case June 19 after getting a tip that Winberry had pictures of a girl, under the age of 16, in various sexual poses on a CD at his Cool Creek Avenue home. Police searched Winberry’s home and found evidence that he was engaging in sexual acts with the girl and that he advertised her for prostitution on Craigslist.
Detectives also found evidence that the girl previously had been used in the same way by McKeehan and Watson — that the couple had taken pictures and video of the girl engaged in sexual acts with both of them and advertised her for prostitution on Craigslist, a free classified advertising Web site.
When detectives searched their home in the 11000 block of West Raul Street, near Columbia and Cloverdale roads in south Boise, they found more evidence. An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Winberry, and officers arrested McKeehand and Watson as they developed probable cause in the case, police officials said.
Meridian Police Lt. Bob Stowe said detectives found evidence that McKeehan, Watson and Winberry all knew each other but did not disclose the nature of the relationship or whether they met through Craigslist.
Stowe also said detectives were still investigating how the adults knew the girl. There is no allegation that the girl was forced to have sexual contact with the three adults.
While there was definite evidence of advertising for prostitution in the case, Stowe said detectives were still working on whether any prostitution took place or where it may have happened. Stowe said there is evidence that at least some the exploitative images and videos found were recorded at the two homes.
Winberry was arrested in the Prosser area Tuesday night on the Meridian arrest warrant. Stowe said detectives figured out that was where he likely went and contacted Prosser police Tuesday once the warrant was issued. Winberry was arrested without incident and is being held in the Benton County Jail on a $1 million warrant.
McKeehan and Watson are being held in the Ada County Jail, each on a $750,000 bond, and will make their initial court appearance later Thursday.
The maximum possible penalty for lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16 is life in prison.
Source: http://www.idahostatesman.com/235/story/425859.html
World of web names now wide open
Internet regulators voted to loosen restrictions on internet names, a move that could allow thousands of variations of suffixes beyond the basic .com or .ca.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) overwhelmingly approved the new guidelines on Thursday in Paris after weeklong meetings.
The guidelines represent one of the biggest changes to the internet in its 25-year history.
New names won't begin appearing for several months and ICANN won't be deciding on specific ones. The organization must decide how much the new domain names will cost. The names are expected to cost over $100,000 apiece to help ICANN cover up to $20 million in costs.
The new guidelines could allow for domain names that have been requested, and denied by ICANN, for years, such as .xxx for adult websites and .post for postal service websites.
Companies with well-known names like eBay, Apple or Google could also end up requesting domain names if the new rules are approved, snatching up names like .ebay, .mac and .goog.
"What this really looks at is opening up that domain-name real estate so that people can have choice. They could place [their address] in dot com, or they could make choices based on what's on the market," ICANN vice-president Paul Levins told CBC News.
Previous rules stringent
Currently, top-level domain names are limited to a few suffixes, such as .com (commerce), .org (organization) or country names, like .ca (Canada), .fr (France) or .uk (United Kingdom).
Organizations have fought hard to get around the restrictions. Television companies, for example, have been paying the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu to use its rights to the .tv address.
Under the new rules, ICANN would allow any string of letters to be used in a domain name. The group is still considering a proposal that would permit addresses entirely in non-English languages for the first time.
There would be an arbitration process for people with objections to proposed names.
Arbitrators could also crack down on "cyber-squatters" — people who buy up domain names associated with well-known company brands so they can sell them back to the companies at high prices.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/06/26/internet-domain.html
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) overwhelmingly approved the new guidelines on Thursday in Paris after weeklong meetings.
The guidelines represent one of the biggest changes to the internet in its 25-year history.
New names won't begin appearing for several months and ICANN won't be deciding on specific ones. The organization must decide how much the new domain names will cost. The names are expected to cost over $100,000 apiece to help ICANN cover up to $20 million in costs.
The new guidelines could allow for domain names that have been requested, and denied by ICANN, for years, such as .xxx for adult websites and .post for postal service websites.
Companies with well-known names like eBay, Apple or Google could also end up requesting domain names if the new rules are approved, snatching up names like .ebay, .mac and .goog.
"What this really looks at is opening up that domain-name real estate so that people can have choice. They could place [their address] in dot com, or they could make choices based on what's on the market," ICANN vice-president Paul Levins told CBC News.
Previous rules stringent
Currently, top-level domain names are limited to a few suffixes, such as .com (commerce), .org (organization) or country names, like .ca (Canada), .fr (France) or .uk (United Kingdom).
Organizations have fought hard to get around the restrictions. Television companies, for example, have been paying the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu to use its rights to the .tv address.
Under the new rules, ICANN would allow any string of letters to be used in a domain name. The group is still considering a proposal that would permit addresses entirely in non-English languages for the first time.
There would be an arbitration process for people with objections to proposed names.
Arbitrators could also crack down on "cyber-squatters" — people who buy up domain names associated with well-known company brands so they can sell them back to the companies at high prices.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/06/26/internet-domain.html
Airlines pay $504M to settle price-fixing scam
Justice Department calls fine against Air France-KLM one of the largest in history
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Four international airlines have agreed to pay $504 million in fines to settle charges they conspired to fleece consumers by driving up cargo shipping prices.
The Justice Department called the case one of the largest antitrust settlements in U.S. history.
Associate Attorney General Kevin O'Connor called the scam an "international price-fixing cartel" that cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars between 2001 and 2006. In some instances, for example, fuel surcharges rose by 1,000 percent.
One of the four airlines -- Air France-KLM -- has agreed to pay $350 million of the total settlement. The other carriers are Cathay Pacific Airways, Martinair Holland and SAS Cargo Group
"American consumers and taxpayers pour billions of dollars each year into the pockets of these lawbreakers," said FBI Assistant Director Joe Persichini. "Let there be no mistake that people in corporations that take consumers and taxpayers in this way are thieves."
Authorities said executives from each of the airlines met repeatedly in the United States, Europe and Asia to cook up a price-fixing scheme that raised cargo rates, fuel surcharges and security costs for businesses and, ultimately, consumers. The cartel focused on goods shipped to and from the United States, including electronics, clothing, produce and medicines, O'Connor said.
The settlement agreement, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, still requires a judge's approval.
Thursday's announcement marked the latest in a series of cargo shipping settlements over the last two years. Earlier, British Airways, Korean Air, Qantas and Japan Airlines filed similar agreements as part of the investigation.
In all, airlines have agreed to pay $1.2 billion in fines -- what O'Connor called "the highest total amount of fines ever imposed in a criminal antitrust investigation."
The investigation is continuing.
Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080626/airline_price_fixing.html
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Four international airlines have agreed to pay $504 million in fines to settle charges they conspired to fleece consumers by driving up cargo shipping prices.
The Justice Department called the case one of the largest antitrust settlements in U.S. history.
Associate Attorney General Kevin O'Connor called the scam an "international price-fixing cartel" that cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars between 2001 and 2006. In some instances, for example, fuel surcharges rose by 1,000 percent.
One of the four airlines -- Air France-KLM -- has agreed to pay $350 million of the total settlement. The other carriers are Cathay Pacific Airways, Martinair Holland and SAS Cargo Group
"American consumers and taxpayers pour billions of dollars each year into the pockets of these lawbreakers," said FBI Assistant Director Joe Persichini. "Let there be no mistake that people in corporations that take consumers and taxpayers in this way are thieves."
Authorities said executives from each of the airlines met repeatedly in the United States, Europe and Asia to cook up a price-fixing scheme that raised cargo rates, fuel surcharges and security costs for businesses and, ultimately, consumers. The cartel focused on goods shipped to and from the United States, including electronics, clothing, produce and medicines, O'Connor said.
The settlement agreement, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, still requires a judge's approval.
Thursday's announcement marked the latest in a series of cargo shipping settlements over the last two years. Earlier, British Airways, Korean Air, Qantas and Japan Airlines filed similar agreements as part of the investigation.
In all, airlines have agreed to pay $1.2 billion in fines -- what O'Connor called "the highest total amount of fines ever imposed in a criminal antitrust investigation."
The investigation is continuing.
Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080626/airline_price_fixing.html
Thursday, June 12, 2008
How the half-price iPhone 3G actually costs you more
Not mentioned in today's you-can't-get-away-from-it iPhone 3G announcement: AT&T's service plan jumps $10 a month. What's this? Did Apple finally figure out what the rest of the retail world did: That when you give away the razor you can charge through the nose for the blades?
Let's look at the math.
Old iPhone: $399 (for 8GB of storage), plus $60 per month for 450 voice minutes and unlimited data. Two-year total (since you'll be signing a two-year deal for either handset): $1,839.
New iPhone: $199 (for 8GB of storage), plus $70 per month for a basic voice plan (presumably the same 450 minutes) and unlimited data. Two-year total: $1,879.
That's $40 more over the course of your contract, which is really not that bad in the grand scheme of things. Had AT&T and Apple raised monthly fees just another $5 per month, the total cost of service would have hit almost $2,000 over two years (not including taxes and fees).
"Business users" get the shaft, big-time, with a minimum of $85 a month for service. That's $15 a month extra just so you can get email via Exchange. Boo. Other annoyances: iPhone 3G will have to be activated in stores instead of at home, like before, and the phone won't be available to purchase online at launch.
Still, like I say, this isn't too bad. Putting aside the business user issue, $40 extra over two years doesn't sound like much, considering all the extra features and services the new iPhone packs in.
In fact, on paper the iPhone 3G has addressed almost all of my complaints regarding the original model from a year ago. But then again, don't forget those accessories (a charging base, for example, is no longer included).
UPDATE: For those who've written regarding the time value of money, I did the math based on the present value of the iPhone to Apple at a 3% annual interest rate. The numbers: Original iPhone nets Apple/AT&T (and costs you) $1,795; new iPhone gets them $1,828. So the new phone still costs you $33 in the end if you invest that $200 you would have otherwise spent on the hardware.
UPDATE 2: Several readers write to mention that text messages are no longer included in the iPhone package, so add another $5 a month for 200 SMS messages. Upgrade to the 16GB iPhone and you're hitting $2,100!
Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/94465
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Denver First Category X Airport to Have AT X-Ray at All Checkpoints
On May 15, Denver International became the nation's first Category X airport to achieve 100 percent Advanced Technology X-Ray screening in all lanes at all three passenger checkpoints.
"I'm very proud of our staff here, who worked day and night to get the new AT X-Ray up and running before the May 26 deadline," FSD David Bassett said of the 28 X-ray machines installed as part of TSA's Checkpoint Evolution initiative.
"We anticipate this new equipment will significantly reduce the number of bag searches, which will increase our efficiency here at Denver," said Project Manager Phil Mentesana, who oversaw installation of the new equipment.
Denver was also the first airport in the nation to achieve 100 percent electronic screening of checked bags with an in-line system.
Source: http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/den_category_x_airport.shtm
"I'm very proud of our staff here, who worked day and night to get the new AT X-Ray up and running before the May 26 deadline," FSD David Bassett said of the 28 X-ray machines installed as part of TSA's Checkpoint Evolution initiative.
"We anticipate this new equipment will significantly reduce the number of bag searches, which will increase our efficiency here at Denver," said Project Manager Phil Mentesana, who oversaw installation of the new equipment.
Denver was also the first airport in the nation to achieve 100 percent electronic screening of checked bags with an in-line system.
Source: http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/den_category_x_airport.shtm
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