Net Neutrality has been a hot word to use the past couple of years. With questionable tactics being raised by telecommunication companies to control internet access for users, it will only continue to grow. The latest Net Neutrality incident comes from the Northeast, with the telecom FairPoint Communications.

FairPoint is taking over internet distribution from Verizon, who is giving up 1.5 million landline accounts going into the new year. All of this is pretty standard fare, but the big question is the handling of email accounts through FairPoint’s service. All of the Verizon accounts will have to be switched over to FairPoint. This can either be a small, or big hassle depending on how much you rely on your email address for communication.

I can actually forgive FairPoint for having customers switch from their Verizon accounts, to theirs. It makes sense, considering it’s a huge telecom switch. Where I draw the line though, is that FairPoint is restricting access to third party email services (AOL, Yahoo, Google etc..). Users of these services will still be able to keep their addresses, but can only access their accounts through FairPoint’s email portal.

Needless to say this is a huge breach of privacy in terms of a provider-client relationship. Restricting access to a site because of a service that millions across the country use every day? I’m not sure what the thought process behind the decision was. If anything, having customers rely on other third party services helps keep the strain off their servers. The only real advantage to forcing users to use FairPoint’s portal would be if they have advertising on their pages.

This is quite upsetting, as it’s but one step (albeit a small one) towards telecoms garnering more control over content. First, it started with capping bandwidth for people utilizing a large about of data transfer. Now, FairPoint has taken it a step further restricting users from free services on the internet.

Where/When is it going to end?

[via: Rutland Herald]

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Christmas is nearly upon us, and with the recent economic problems it looks to be bleak for some. Nearly everyone is feeling the strain of the economy, and electronics giant Best Buy is no different.

Earnings for the third quarter this year have drastically fallen from last year’s earnings. In Q3 of 2008, Best Buy made $52 million, compared to $228 million. It’s crazy how much can happen in a year. That drop off is hovering at 77%.

The latest numbers have led to drastic measures from Best Buy. They are allowing voluntary buyouts to the 4,000 corporate employees working for them. After awhile, if the buyouts aren’t taken then layoffs would have to occur.

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I’m not sure if the astronomy experts have seen the movie Armaggedon, but I thought we already tackled the asteroid issue? Just send Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and Owen Wilson (before he was popular) into space with a nuke and oil drill… VOILA problem solved. Well, apparently that plan doesn’t translate well into the real world. Still, I’d definitely like Peter Stormare to say ‘You Americans are nothing but a bunch of ceowboys’ while really saving the world from an asteroid.

According to a BBC article, the (ASE) Association of Space Explorers is calling for a worldwide effort in devising an emergency asteroid plan. They have sent a report to the UN, with their recent findings. The report has been deemed serious enough that the UN will be discussing the matter in February.

The main reason for the coordination of efforts, is the recent report that an asteroid is on a course to pass near Earth. The asteroid has been code named, ‘Apophis’ so you know it has to be serious. Most asteroids burn up before entering Earth’s atmosphere. Unfortunately Apophis is large enough to cause a very significant amount of damage. In the Tunguska asteroid in 1908, the impact was large enough to create a 2,000 sq km fire, which is roughly the size of New York City. If Apophis were to hit Earth, it would create an impact 100x greater than the Tunguska incident. The chances right now of Apophis hitting Earth are 1 in 45,000. So the odds are in our favor right now, but there’s enough of a chance to cause some alarm.

There have been a few ideas that have been brought up to keep asteroids away from our planet. One is quite similar to the movie Armaggedon. The plan would call for a space craft to crash into the asteroid, or detonate a nuclear armed device on its surface to make it change its course. Another idea is to use a probe to allow gravitational forces to pull the asteroid away from its course. This idea has potential of working if set into motion soon enough.

The scientific means of asteroid prevention is somewhat in place. What really needs to be decided on now by the UN, is political action. Who’s going to be the main party in asteroid prevention? Where’s the funding going to come from? Are Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and Owen Wilson going to be available when the time arises?

These are just some of the important questions that the UN will be facing come February.

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America’s Army, a free FPS released by the U.S Army received mixed reviews, and many questioned its goal as a recruiting tool. Now the Army is investing even more heavily into gaming, but as a training tool, not for recruiting.

Stripes.com is reporting that the US Army is investing $50 million/5 years for research and development into gaming. Lt. Col. Gary Stephens had this to say about the recent investment, which will officially begin in 2010, “We want to take advantage of that (video game market), but we don’t have the intent to become a competitor with the commercial gaming industry…We don’t have the intent or capability to be a commercial game house.”

The Army has a game that it uses for current training, DARWARS Ambush. The problem is the game is starting to show its age, and doesn’t provide nearly the scope of an actual battlefield. The Army will be using their new funding to find a game system that it finds will harness its needs for training.

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