Philadelphia's citywide WiFi close to shutting down
[Via CNET, image courtesy of Stippling]
Posts with tag internet


Sure, we've seen the occasional loony look down upon open WiFi access, but Russia is apparently out to really slow down wireless adoption with its latest directive. Reportedly, the Russian Mass Media, Communications and Cultural Protection Service (or Rossvyazokhrankultura for short -- no seriously, we swear) is looking to have every user of a WiFi-enabled device obtain permission and register said device before hopping on the world wide web. Even worse, it seems as if every single wireless transmitter and device must be registered, meaning that technophiles will be filling out heaps of paperwork in order to get their handset, laptop, DS Lite, PC and hacked-up Foleo online (legally) via their home-based access point. We're hearing that registering a single PDA or phone would take around ten days, while signing up a new home network would be even more painstaking. We'll spare you the snide In Soviet Russia... remarks, but feel free to concoct your own below.
Okay, so there's a fair amount of folks out there still wondering what exactly a MID (Mobile Internet Device) can do for them, and while some may scrutinize the facts and still come away in a haze, Intel has unleashed a new 84 second spot hyping the platform's ability to keep you connected in nearly any locale. The plug trumpets the "great battery life" you're just guaranteed to get as well as the ability to connect via WiFi or WiMAX. Beyond accessing the web, you'll also find promotions for multimedia playback and "catching up on your work" -- the latter of which we're thoroughly skeptical about. Still, you're likely to get a hearty chuckle out of it if nothing else, so click on past the break to get schooled.
Considering the plethora of facilities that have opened just in the past few years to deal solely with individuals that have become undoubtedly addicted to video games, the internet and all things Hello Kitty (we jest, we jest), we're not surprised one iota to hear that uncontrollably texting / e-mailing could soon become "classified as an official brain illness." According to a writeup in the latest American Journal of Psychiatry, internet addiction is a common ailment "that should be added to psychiatry's official guidebook of mental disorders." More specifically, Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, even goes so far as to argue that said phenomenon (neglecting basic drives to spend more time online) be "included in the [next edition of] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, psychiatry's official dictionary of mental illnesses." Until then, we wish you the best of luck convincing that creature living in your basement with a dedicated T1 line that he / she isn't alright.
If you'll recall, the IEEE gave the all important thumbs up to 100G as the next Ethernet speed, and while we've seen such a milestone met on the Internet2, Verizon's looking to bring it to the masses in just twelve short months. According to Fred Briggs, Verizon Business' executive vice president of operations and technology, the firm is aiming to "deploy 100G network capabilities over all its major routes within the United States." Verizon actually tested out its 100Gbps capabilities last year on a video transmission from Tampa to Miami, Florida, and apparently, the results "showed that it could deploy 100G on routes and not disrupt current wavelengths." Granted, we wouldn't expect many consumers to actually be able to take advantage of all this speed right away, but even if you're not down with (or nearby) any of Verizon's forthcoming offerings, there's always DOCSIS 3.0.







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