Daily Archives: 30. January 2009

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NBC “See Dead People” ? – Drops Pro-Life Commercial for Super Bowl

30. January 2009 16:26 / Leave a Comment /

http://outbound.afa.net/track?type=click&mailingid=alert_nbcrejects_20090130&messageid=alert_nbcrejects_20090130&databaseid=1234&serial=1181235670&emailid=a_spicer@bellsouth.net&userid=15970148&extra=&&&101&&&https://secure.afa.net/afa/activism/TakeAction.asp?id=343

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=404524

* Maybe NBC sees Dead People … like the movie quote from that movie Sixth Sense (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167404/quotes) or would rather show commercials about dead people rather than live people? NBC: It’s an AD. Run the damn thing! It doesn’t reflect on NBC’s opinions on the thing, if NBC likes dead people rather than live people – fine! But I think a lot of people should get to see it. You’ve run anti-kill-yourself-smoking ads … why not an anti-kill-people-before-they’re-born ad?

NBC television has rejected a pro-life advertisement which Catholicvote.org bought for a slot in the Super Bowl because the ad contains a pro-life message. The 30-second ad features ultrasound pictures from a baby in its mother’s womb. There is nothing either graphic or political and the word abortion is not even used. In fact, no words are spoken, only graphics that appear on-screen. Yet, the message is extremely powerful. You can view the ad here (see link above.)

That wonderful pro-life Obama commercial you may have seen here recently was supposed to run during the Super Bowl on Sunday. After first accepting it, NBC apparently changed its collective mind, saying it wasn’t going to run advocacy ads during the big game.

Brian Burch, President of Fidelis, a Chicago-based Catholic organization responsible for the commercial, says that NBC initially responded positively and he was raising money to pay for it. Watch the commercial below, and imagine the impact it could have had on the millions who watch the Super Bowl.

—
Alan Spicer Telecom / Alan Spicer Marine Telecom

http://www.marinetelecom.net

http://www.alanspicermarinetelecom.com

communications (at) marinetelecom.net
communications (at) alanspicermarinetelecom.com
a_spicer (at) bellsouth.net
+1 954-683-3426 +1 954-977-5245

Posted in: Main, WiFi Hotspot and Onboard WiFi Wireless

Yachts/Marine – Just as on land is transitioning to Digital TV, Distress Alert Epirb’s also Change to Digital and a New Frequency

30. January 2009 11:34 / Leave a Comment /

Yachts/Marine – Just as on land is transitioning to Digital TV, Distress Alert Epirb’s also Change to Digital and a New Frequency

There’s a transition going (supposedly in February 2009, but reportedly delayed by the US Government) in Broadcasting of the old Analog Television – that will be used to recover many of the frequencies used by the old analog system for use by other Radio Services and perhaps Internet Access Providers via Wireless. The reason that a lot of frequency spectrum can be recovered is that the Digital Transmissions are more efficient in frequency usage – they can put a lot more signal and thus channels in a much smaller frequency space.

The Coast Guard wants to remind mariners that there is also a digital and frequency shift change on February 1st for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons. If you are on a yacht, chances are you already know what these are and how important they can be and what regulations there are that require you to have them. So now on with the news…

News Release
Date: January 29, 2009

Contact: Lt. Cmdr. Eric King
(843) 724-7630

Coast Guard reminds mariners of upcoming EPIRB frequency shift

CHARLESTON, S.C., – Similar to the broadcasting world, which is transitioning from analog to digital frequencies, beginning Feb. 1, the Coast Guard will only receive distress alert broadcasts from digital 406-MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons.

The Coast Guard will no longer process analog signals transmitting on 121.5 or 243 MHz.

The Coast Guard urges mariners and aviators to upgrade their onboard analog equipment to include a digital 406-MHz EPIRB.

Advantages of the 406 EPIRB signal include:

* Worldwide coverage

* More reliable position information to withineight square nauticalmiles on non GPS-enabled units and 300 feet on GPS-enabled models

* More stable and sustained signal resulting in faster response

* Digitally encoded data, including latitude and longitude, helps tocurb false alerts,speeds up response timesand conserves tax dollars

* A signal 50 times more powerful, allowing for more accurate search areas and quick resolution of unintentionally activated EPIRBs

GPS-enabled features and water-immersion activation devices in select models further improve chances of a safe, swift rescue. Some have more ecologically compatible batteries as well.

EPIRB owners are required to register their beacons with the 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database online at http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov, or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE. Federal law also requires EPIRB owners to update pertinent contact and vessel identification information every two years or when the information changes through the 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database online at http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov.

The information provided helps to take the search out of search and rescue by allowing rescuers to quickly gather vital information about missing boaters, their vessel and their location, which results in faster rescues and increased chances of survival in distress situations.

—
Alan Spicer Telecom / Alan Spicer Marine Telecom
http://www.marinetelecom.net
http://www.alanspicermarinetelecom.com
communications (at) marinetelecom.net
communications (at) alanspicermarinetelecom.com
a_spicer (at) bellsouth.net
+1 954-683-3426 +1 954-977-5245

 

Posted in: Main

Google and partners to expose network meddling

30. January 2009 00:04 / Leave a Comment /

http://www.techspot.com:80/news/33387-google-and-partners-to-expose-network-meddling.html

Google and partners to expose network meddling
By Jose Vilches, TechSpot.com
Published: January 28, 2009, 6:18 PM EST

[Alan's Note:]
I’m a supporter of Net neutrality… which means we should all get equal access to the Internet. I’m very glad to read this about Google and partners working to expose such meddling in our network connections by Internet Service Providers (ISP’s). I think they should also look at incoming port blocking on cellular, satellite, and land-based networks. I’ve had it up to HERE with the BS I hear about reasons why network TCP/IP Ports (UDP and TCP inbound ports) are blocked. I was forced into Business Class Service on DSL just to get one measely port open, Port 25, in order to run a Mail Server. Even though I was already Fixed (Static IP) which removes the excuse that I might spam and the ISP wouldn’t be able to tell that it was me doing it. Well Bellsouth (now AT&T) that’s not true – on a fixed IP you wouldn’t have that problem and thus that excuse. So thanks (NOT!) for the hassle and added COST! The latest was (an unnamed) Cellular ISP telling me it was for security reasons… that all inbound ports are block on 3G Cellular Internet. There are also usually these ugly AUP (acceptable use policies) that prevent you from running any kind of camera or service/server on your connection (anything other than a pencil sharpener is probably not allowed) – which leaves you just to whatever you connect out to that will work. Even if you were able to initiate out – all of the common incoming ports – other than probably the Reply Connections (established, related to outbound connection request) are probably blocking coming in. But nothing can be accepted coming in alone. That’s just plain rediculous. We’re at the point of 3.5G moving forward towards 4G… it’s time for Ronald Reagan to stand up and say “Tear down these walls!!!!”. “Well we’re preventing Spam” – the ISP’s will say. “Ahem… well that’s obviously not working” – Alan Spicer says. We are in the age when people want to provide services, be creative, blogging, social networking, share videos and photos, – people want to Provide Services on their connection. To some extent this is allowed on land-based connections, but it gets “meddled with” as the article tells about. On cellular they’re apparently not letting this stuff at all. And I think they should. We just need more people – or a Federal Agency to tell them that they must. People are already replacing traditional telephone service with cellular service. They will begin to replace traditional land-based Internet service with cellular as well. So the cellular networks should allow the same capabilities as the land-based Internet services do. Or at least it should be an option. If certain users (or class of users) wants to have all ports blocked – they should get it. But if other users (or class of users) does not want these things blocked then they should have that option – to not have ports blocked. To say that is a security feature… well I think it’s more than that. That’s all I’m going to say for now. So off to the article…
[end of Alan's Note]

As promised several months ago, Google and a group of partners have formed the Measurement Lab platform, an open project of distributed servers meant to help researchers gauge just how well an internet connection is working and conversely help customers determine if their ISP is blocking or throttling particular applications.

As part of the plan, Google will provide M-Lab with 36 servers in 12 locations in the U.S. and Europe to run a set of tools which initially include: a network diagnostic tool, which reports the upload and download speeds and also attempts to determine what problems limited these speeds; a tool to detect whether your ISP is performing application-specific shaping; and network and path application diagnosis (NPAD), which diagnoses some of the common problems affecting the last network mile and end-users’ systems.

Google insisted that the effort was not just another means to push Net neutrality and said it believes that consumers should have the right to clearly understand the exact nature of the connection they’re paying for. To help with that goal, M-Lab says two additional tools should arrive shortly, DiffProbe and Nano. The first will attempt to detect if an ISP is classifying certain kinds of traffic as “low priority” (a technique Comcast began using not long ago), while the latter will attempt to detect if an ISP is degrading the performance of a certain subset of users, apps, or destinations.

—
Alan Spicer Telecom / Alan Spicer Marine Telecom
http://www.marinetelecom.net
http://www.alanspicermarinetelecom.com
communications (at) marinetelecom.net
communications (at) alanspicermarinetelecom.com
a_spicer (at) bellsouth.net
+1 954-683-3426 +1 954-977-5245

Posted in: Main