ROM-DOS

I have 29 background processes running. . .but you might want to goto WindowsPrefetch folder and see how many it's ready(and waiting) to load for you, too.

Simultaneous DVD, on-demand video releases draw nearer 1/4/2006 10:44:47 AM, by Eric Bangeman We've been proponents of changing up the movie release schedule for some time. Since time immemorial (i.e., since the invention of the VCR and launch of HBO), theaters have had first dibs on movies. Only after the films have cleared out of the budget, second-run movie houses would they be released on DVD (or videotape), video-on-demand, and then televised on pay-per-view or one of the premium movie channels, and finally end up on network TV. The strategy worked well enough for a couple of decades, but as Hollywood is faced with declining theater attendance and DVD sales, it has been forced to cast about for ways to keep people paying to see its product. The Wall Street Journal is reporting (subscription only) that a handful of studios are near an agreement to pilot simultaneous DVD and video-on-releases. Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures, and Twentieth Century Fox are said to be closest to doing a test run during the first half of 2006. Disney in particular has been a proponent of altering the release schedule. In August 2005, Disney CEO Robert Iger raised a lot of eyebrows when he said that time between cinema and DVD release needs to "compress." In 2003, it launched Moviebeam, a on-demand video service that required a dedicated set-top box, in a handful of test markets. Although Moviebeam is currently off the airwaves, Disney plans to reintroduce it at some point in the future. Under one plan (DVDs on Demand) floated by Comcast, subscribers would be able to order get on-demand movie access by ordering a DVD through the cable provider. That's hardly revolutionary, as it would still require a DVD purchase to get the on-demand content. A number of players have irons in the fire. Besides the movie studios, which face an increasingly fickle movie-going public, there are the cable providers and DVD retailers. Closing the window between video-on-demand and DVD releases could be a big winner for cable TV companies, which would see additional revenues in the form of movie sales or rentals. On the other hand, big box retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart stand to lose sales if consumers can get the latest DVD releases without ever leaving the house. Target and other retailers already have cause for concern when it comes to DVD sales. After years of steady growth, DVD sales have actually declined in recent years as movie fans have filled out their personal film libraries and have become more discriminating about what they buy. Over the past few years, the window between theatrical release and DVD release has shrunk in an attempt to spur DVD sales, but the decline continues. Studios would appear willing to let retailers twist in the wind--as they would love to forego the expense of manufacturing and packaging DVDs in favor of video-on-demand--if not for one small factor: piracy. The fear is that once a movie is downloaded or streamed to a device with storage capability (e.g., a DVR or PC), it will shortly thereafter appear on Usenet and file-trading networks. Despite calls for a unified DRM standard, such a solution is nowhere in sight. Naturally, the industry faces the same issue with physical media, although they are hoping the next-gen optical formats put an end to that. The motion picture industry also fears that consumers will keep pay-per-view movies indefinitely, leading to further losses in DVD sales. Of course, legislation is in the works that would put severe limits on timeshifting and would allow consumers to keep recordings indefinitely only at the whim of the studios would make video-on-demand much easier to swallow. Regardless of what happens with the "analog hole" legislation (and I'm hoping all of you have been in touch with your congressional representatives over this issue), the compressed release window is going to happen sooner or later. As Iger said last August, "the rules in terms of consumption have changed dramatically." It's high time the industry recognized this and did something other than lobbying for anti-Fair-Use legislation and suing people. Copyright

boywonder ~ Why are you sticking with Dial-Up? . . .is it because the simple things in life, like hunting, fishing, camping and reading Harry Potter books don't seem as challenging(just more relaxing) as a great game of poker or trying to speed up your dial-up connection? j/k ~ lol There might be alot of reasons your not connecting faster~ but at least we know it's consistent ~ find the location of your telephone company switching office here; http://www.testmy.net/forum/index.php?topic=9597.msg95148#msg95148 Have you ever updated the drivers for your modem? Are you using CableNut Adjuster? . . .if so, what settings are you using? . . .if not ~ start! [i know CableNut has alot to do with the speeds I get ~ without it I'm connecting about like you are, so I would think playing with the settings in it would/could give you the boost you might be looking for.] oh, Trend Micro by far is the best! Norton and McDaffee suck and really bug the system down, worst than NetZero could never think of. lol

ttthhhaaattss GREAT!

Microsoft preparing patch for Windows flaw Tuesday, January 3, 2006

Google PC rumors heat up again 1/3/2006 11:33:40 AM, by Eric Bangeman Although not quite the target for rampant rumor-mongering that Apple is, Google still draws its fair share of speculation. The latest new Google product allegedly in the pipeline is the Google PC/Internet Appliance/thingy. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Google will unveil just such a device at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. According to the paper, Google's new PC will not run Windows. Rather, it will use an OS created by Google. Pricing is reputed to be in the "very cheap" range, which I'm guessing would put it in the sub-US$300 category. Google has reportedly been in negotiations with Wal-Mart about carrying the device, whatever it may be. That would give Google's device instant reach. Google CEO Larry Page is giving a keynote address at CES, and is expected by some to announce the device. (I'll be at his keynote as part of Ars Technica's coverage of CES.) Speculation about Google introducing a PC or Internet Appliance is nothing new. However, the rumors have been growing louder and more persistent over the past few months. In December, one analyst predicted the arrival of "Google Cubes," which would be Google-branded hardware that would function primarily as a media server. That seems outlandish at best. Looking solely at the possibility of a Google PC, we can make some educated guesses about the nature of such a beast. It would definitely run some flavor of Linux, probably heavily customized. Arguments about whether Linux is "ready for the desktop" aside, it's a natural as a low-cost (free) OS that can perform all the basic functions that the typical PC user needs. Google could include Firefox with the Google Toolbar preinstalled and could easily tweak one of the IM clients to work with GTalk out of the box. The bigger question is why Google would want to enter an entirely new market with its own peculiar set of headaches. Although manufacturing, distribution, and even call center/support desk tasks could easily be done by third parties, Google would still need to devote a significant proportion of its resources to a new PC division. Yes, Google sells search appliances for the corporate market, but the company's core competencies are search, Internet advertising, and software development. Another concern would have to be consumer acceptance of Linux as an operating system. How many Linspire-branded PCs were returned to Wal-Mart once users booted them up to discover that Windows

Huge virus threat rocks Microsoft Report says a newly discovered flaw could expose hundreds of millions of Windows PCs to virus. January 3, 2006: 11:08 AM EST NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The new year is off to a rocky start at Microsoft, where security experts are scrambling to confront a potentially massive virus threat to Windows PCs. According to a report Tuesday in the Financial Times, the latest vulnerability involves a flaw which allows hackers to infect computers using programs inserted into image files. The threat was discovered last week. But it mushroomed over the weekend, when a group of hackers published the source code they used to exploit the flaw. What makes this threat particularly vicious, according to the Times, is that unwitting victims can infect their computers simply by viewing a web page, e-mail, or instant message that includes a contaminated image. That differs from most virus attacks, which require a user to actually download an infected file. "The potential [security threat] is huge," Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, an antivirus company, told the Times. "It's probably bigger than for any other vulnerability we've seen. "Any version of Windows is vulnerable right now," said Mr. Hypponen, including every Windows system shipped since 1990. Microsoft (Research) said in a security bulletin on its Web site, "we are working closely with our antivirus partners and aiding law enforcement in its investigation."

pitbull481 ~ my old home city was(and sometimes is) Chi-town ~ born and raised there, but now I live in Washington and have to go with the

I'm still trying to figure out what the two little guys under CA3LE the 1st's throne are up too. maybe you can interpet that one for us shug-a-lug ~ I have a feeling they are part of your long family history of kissing . . . j/k ~ lol

ROM-DOS, I am not sure where your going with this post. What about what is happening right here in the good-old-USA. [well, I'm not going to China, soon. . .I agree, there is something happening right here in the good-old-USA ~ and it's all good, but a little old]

THE BEGINNING: As we all know, the Internet was invented in 1824 by James Alexander Internet (1782-1834). Originally his plan was to use it to send pictures of his young wife to his leering cronies. But when the Internet escaped from his lab in the middle of the night it was found by some urchins, who used it to create a vast de-centralised wealth of military data and resources. Soon the whole world was 'perusing' the world wide web! However, it wasn't long before a dark cloud appeared over the horizon. . . ABUSE: Perhaps the most famous scandal in the whole history of the Internet is that of the Evil Queen who used a search engine working through a 'mirror' to illegally slander Snow White, who was clearly the fairest of them all. It all ended in tears. The Evil Queen then went on to invent cheese that you squeeze out of a tube like it's toothpaste. WIRES AND STUFF: The world is made up of wires and stuff. Just scratch away the skin on your arm and look what's there. Wires! The Internet uses wires too, mainly for stuff. Yeah, I know, I'm getting a little bit too 'techy' for you? OK. Here's an analogy that works for everyone. Try to think of a man as a really big hairy grown-up baby. Kung-fu! MAKING NEW FRIENDS: We all like to make new friends, and the Internet makes this possible even if seeing a real person makes you want to kill again. Because it's really hard to kill people via the Internet, and they never give me their address. Or even their phone number. . . what? Oh, yes, sometimes people also use a cool hacker alias such as NEO, TRINITY, or ROM-something. . . <img src="http://imagehouze.com/uploader/files/126/ergo.jpg" alt="ergo.jpg" />

. . .I like the really short version <img src="http://imagehouze.com/uploader/files/126/amessage.gif" alt="amessage.gif" />

botnick ~ I've been to mountain (not sure if it was the right one?) and found this written in stone. <img src="http://imagehouze.com/uploader/files/126/Anunu.JPG" alt="Anunu.JPG" /> I'm sure these guys (mods?) are discussing something about an illegal HUB. The Big Guy (CA3LE the 1st) must be declaring some kind of law concerning this outrage. . . .apparently, this debate has been going on for centuries . . .probably has to do with all the reasons for all the illegal warz. . . .at least, I didn't notice any cracks in the stone ~ that's a good thing ~ isn't it?

dlewis23 ~ it's not the Chinese government! . . .it's Yahoo, Google and Microsoft! [j/k ~ I just needed a reason to post]

Idlewis23 ~ it's not the Chinese people(it's their '60's revolution), it's the Chinese government! Many people may see China's stance on pornography to be a civil rights issue, and, certainly in the light of our own constitution, they may be right. However, it's not really the case. Censorship of pornography is a very different beast than the political censorship that people are used to talking about whenever China is mentioned. Political censorship is used by the government to maintain (political power)/(stability) (pick one). Censorship of pornography is due to the fact that Chinese culture has always been very very conservative. Pornographic censorship in China (as in most other places like the US) is more of a social phenomenon rather than overt government oppression. What sucks are American concerns like Yahoo, Google, MS, who help in apprehending Chinese dissidents under the guise of goodwill. Profiting by violating human rights that are illegal in their home countries should equate to charges against these companies. It's illegal for an American citizen to go overseas to engage in child pornography or child prostitution, even if it's outside US jurisdiction where the Phillipines or Thailand (or where ever) have lax security to crack down on this behavior. As soon as the perv comes home, his passport is revoked and a case is started against him. Colin Powell before he retired stated this exact stance. So why shouldn't a corporation fall under this same scrutiny? We can't stop China immediately. It'll be slow and culturally based, not a bloodbath revolution. What we *CAN* do in America is make Google and friends accountable. I don't care if China is a fast growing market for the Internet. It's wrong to turn a blind eye and have American companies commit completely un-American acts against other human beings. We can't stand by and say "Google helped send the stormtroopers to Mr. Lee's house, but it's all good 'cause Lee isn't a US citizen. f*** Mr. Lee and his family." It's ok for the China's bureaucrats to steal and sell their land, poison their country's resources, execute over 10k people a year, and force their secratarys to service them sexually as part of the job but heaven forbid someone should see some naked breasts on the internet. You can take a man's freedom, but you can't take his porn. I think this may be the last straw for the Chinese government!

China declares war on Internet pornography 12/31/2005 3:33:16 PM, by Ryan Paul The Chinese government regularly censors Internet content in an effort to diminish the distribution of politically subversive material, but now the communist state is expanding its control and targetting Internet pornography web sites as well. According to a Chinese government official, 221 people have been arrested, and almost 600 web sites have been shut down since March in a crackdown on "obscene" Internet content. According to Zhao Shiqiang, the vice chief of the Ministry of Public Security's Internet Security and Supervision bureau, the government is in control, and winning the slow battle against information that government officials consider harmful: The spread of Web sites that involve pornography has been bought under effective control. Due to the specialized nature of Internet technology, there are still some places where pornography exists. Harmful information on overseas sites can still be transmitted internally, and a minority of people try to use the Web to carry out illegal activities. With more than 100 million Internet users, China has the second largest population of web content consumers after the United States. Although the Chinese government promotes web use for business, education, and government activity, the communist regime has committed its resources to crushing web sites that challenge government authority, or distribute content that the government considers to be detrimental to society. Like most other communist states, China and its government have very little respect for civil liberties and personal autonomy. Governments in Europe are disturbed by the destructive and tyrannical behavior of the Chinese government, and several representatives have spoken out against the censorship and other Chinese government policies. Earlier this month, an EU commissioner criticized Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Google for facilitating oppressive Chinese government censorship, and cooperating with government investigations that have led to the incarceration of dissidents that yearn for freedom and democracy. The Chinese government established some new rules this year that place extraordinarily prohibitive limitations on blogging. The laws ban posts that "instigate illegal gatherings, formation of associations, marches, demonstrations, or disturb social order." The Chinese government also recently increased surveillance of mobile phone text messaging, a popular method of communication in China where 383 million individuals use mobile phones. According to Wu Heping, vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security, Chinese law enforcement agents have found 107,000 illegal text messages since the start of November, and have consequently pulled the plug on approximately 9,700 cell phone accounts. The police say that 44 percent of the illegal messages intercepted by police were attempts at banking fraud, but many of the other illegal messages were advertisements for prostitution and pornography services. Journalistic freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders claims that the government is also going after dissidents that use text messaging to organize demonstrations or distribute news censored by the government. Censorship of Internet pornography is rarely effective. To the dismay of free speech advocates across the country, United States law enforcement agencies began to attack web sites with "obscene" content earlier this year. Attorney General Gonazalez and FBI Director Meuller said that the anti-obscenity initiative was one of their "top priorities" for the year. Internet pornography is a massively profitable business, and regulating it will merely push it overseas, depriving the government of valuable tax revenue. Despite their government's efforts, the people of China are embracing progressive sexual practices and creating a society that is tolerant and permissive: The internet has really fuelled the sexual revolution in China. With more than 100 million internet users and sex education in its infancy, young people turn to the internet for everything from information about sex to pornography, which is illegal in China. In the absence of a pub culture, they also use it to meet partners. Some surveys claim 30 per cent of all one-night stands in China are arranged on the web. What does the Chinese government do to Internet pornographers? A 20-year-old in eastern China received a 15 year jail sentence for selling downloads of movies with pornographic content. There are some things that simply cannot be repressed. Despite the risk of incarceration, the Chinese people continue to produce and distribute pornographic content. Will the Chinese government continue to arrest hundreds of citizens every year for perpetrating victimless crimes? I doubt that censorship and oppression in China will end any time soon, and I can't help but wonder if it is an ominous illustration of what Americans can expect to see in the future as our own government continues to enforce unreasonable limitations on free speech with its war against obscenity. Copyright

Shug7272 ~ just 'cause my motto this year is ~ "Bring It On" ~ doesn't mean ~ get me started this early. . .botnick ~ help me out ~ tell Shug some species undertake this freak leap at the peaks of their population growth!

Intel Drops Logo After 37 Years Intel Corp. is launching a new corporate and brand identity that will include a reworked company logo, a change in its ubiquitous "Intel Inside" stickers and a shift away from the Pentium name for its microprocessors. The changes, which will be formally announced Tuesday, come as the world's largest chip maker tries to market itself less as a chip outfit and more as a provider of platforms, such as its Centrino technology for notebook computers or its upcoming Viiv for entertainment PCs. In one move, the company is removing the familiar dropped "e" from its logo, which has been little changed since the company was founded in 1968 by Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce. And like the recently revamped AT&T Inc. logo, the letters that make up "Intel" appear in lower case. Intel also is simplifying the "Intel Inside" stickers that first appeared on PCs in 1991 under then CEO-Andy Grove. But the marketing program in which Intel subsidizes PC makers who use Intel chips and stickers will continue, Intel spokesman Bill Calder said. Intel, based in Santa Clara, also is announcing that its next-generation processors for mobile computers will be called "Core" rather than "Pentium M." Processors with a single computing engine will be known as "Core Solo," while chips with two engines will be called "Core Duo." Eventually, it's expected Intel will completely retire the Pentium brand that was introduced in 1993. The company's logo will also include a tag line, "Leap ahead." It's "a simple expression that declares who we are and what we do," said Eric Kim, Intel's chief marketing officer, who joined Intel last year from Samsung.

:::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 700 Kbps about 0.7 Mbps (tested with 386 kB) Download Speed is:: 86 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net/ (server2) Test Time:: Sun Jan 1 23:03:12 PST 2006 Bottom Line:: 13X faster than 56K 1MB download in 11.91 sec Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 753.66 % faster than the average for host (nocharge.com) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-7LS9AFV31 My connect speed is 49.2 w/31% compression. I also downloaded a 27.5MB file @ 12.23 KB / sec. and took a snapshot cholla did the conversion for the 27.5MB = 28160KB 27.5 X 1024=28160 28160 / 12.23 = 2302.5 2302.5 seconds / 60 seconds = 38 minutes So that means you DLed 27.5MB in 38 minutes 8 x 12.23 = 97.84 12.23KB/sec = 97.84 Kbps

FallowEarth ~ my system is tweaked to the max. It's not cached. have you ever read this > New 'Dial-up' Speed Record

:::.. Download Stats ..::: Connection is:: 700 Kbps about 0.7 Mbps (tested with 386 kB) Download Speed is:: 86 kB/s Tested From:: https://testmy.net/ (server2) Test Time:: Sun Jan 1 23:03:12 PST 2006 Bottom Line:: 13X faster than 56K 1MB download in 11.91 sec Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 753.66 % faster than the average for host (nocharge.com) Validation Link:: https://testmy.net/stats/id-7LS9AFV31 I'm almost approaching cable speeds! I need help it setting fastest Dial-Up in the Universe!

amc11890 ~ An XP+3200 is physically the same as a 2500+ but just operates at a different speed. With the XP 2500+ (barton core) all you need to do is get a decent heatsink/fan and some Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste (which I have already done) and some PC3200 Ram and set the front side bus to 200Mhz and bingo you'll have a 3200+. The 2500+ is ideal for this because it has an 11x mulitplier. 2500+ runs at 11x166=1826Ghz 3200+ runs at 11x200=2200Ghz and that's just doing the FSB! Sweet huh! and 2 gigs of PC3200(DDR400) dual-channel Ram will just fly! I've got the MSI K7N2 Delta w/ 6.4GB memory bandwdth (great over-clocking board) and the nVidia GeForce FX 5200 vid card, right now. Still lookin' ~ still thinkin'

amc11890 ~ yeah,more Ram would help. Strange mis-match of memory - pc 2100 and pc 2700 ~ is that why you under-clocked your AMD Athlon Xp 1800+? I've got the AMD Athlon XP 2500+ barton core ~ I plan on over-clocking it when I add some more Ram ~ thinkin' 2 gigs dual-channel ~ I've got 512MB now. I'm also going to get a new video and sound card and see how fast I can get this baby flying! ~ lol