"Net Neutrality" May End Unlimited Internet Access

". . . the demand for a 'free' or unlimited good is infinite. Networks don't have infinite capacity." Jerry Pournelle

FCC Position May Spell the End of Unlimited Internet | Epicenter | Wired.com:
"Net neutrality sounds like a good idea. After all, it’s the internet’s openness to any and all users, applications and content that gave it such a resounding victory over closed networks like AOL, CompuServe and Prodigy. And there’s no question that as a general business and networking principle, “anything goes” is both desirable and beneficial, to users and network operators alike. Over the long run, the most open networks attract the most customers and will be the most successful — and the most profitable.

But somewhere along the way, this principle of good network architecture turned into a political tenet that, according to some true believers, is almost equivalent to the Bill of Rights in importance.

. . .

For net neutrality’s true believers, Comcast and Verizon no longer get to decide how best to configure the networks they spent billions building: Their networks are so ubiquitous, and so critical to the common good, that the government has a responsibility to ensure they are managed fairly.

. . .

Unfortunately, there are at least three big problems with making net neutrality a federal mandate.

First is that bandwidth is not, in fact, unlimited, especially in the wireless world. One reason ISPs are averse to neutrality regulation, they say, is that they need the flexibility to ban or mitigate high-bandwidth uses of their network, like BitTorrent and Hulu.com, which would otherwise run amok.

. . .

Take away ISPs’ ability to shape or restrict traffic, and you’ll see many carriers running into AT&T-like capacity problems. Their response will almost certainly be to make consumers pay for what they’re actually using.

. . .

Second, enforcement of neutrality regulations is going to be difficult. Comcast may not be able to block Skype traffic altogether, but what’s to prevent the company from slowing it down relative to other traffic it carries? Such preferential “packet shaping” is easy to turn off and on, as network demands ebb and flow. By contrast, proving such infractions of neutrality will be complex, slow and difficult. It sets up a classic “nimble, resourceful criminal versus slow-footed, underequipped cop” scenario.

Third, the new regulations create an additional layer of government bureaucracy where the free market has already proven its effectiveness. The reason you’re not using AOL to read this right now isn’t because the government mandated AOL’s closed network out of existence: It’s because free and open networks triumphed, and that’s because they were good business.

. . ."

Tab Mix Plus FireFox plugin - Chaos Manor

Used and recommended :-)

Chaos Manor Reviews - Mailbag for June, 2009:
". . .
I just installed the Tab Mix Plus 0.3.7.3 plugin because I remembered your mentioning that you use it to display multiple rows of tabs in Firefox. It took me a while to find it by searching www.jerrypournelle.com, but I really appreciate that you archive your 'columns' and make then searchable.

This is exactly what I need when I have a lot of tabs open - thanks!

There are so many Firefox plugins available now that it really helps to have recommendations from a trusted source."

Government Cash-for-Clunkers Website

It looks like this won't be used to get classic cars off the road (trade-ins must be less than 25 years old), but it also looks like it won't be very successful.

Government Launches ‘Cash-for-Clunkers’ Website – Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine:
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched the website for its ‘cash-for-clunkers’ incentive program yesterday, despite the continued uncertainty regarding how the program will be implemented.
. . .
The website for the program, located at www.cars.gov, has been dubbed the “Car Allowance Rebate System.”
. . .
The site also contains a link to the government’s fuel economy rating site, and a copy of the actual legislation that created the program.
. . .
Analysts have been skeptical about how effective the program will be. Funding for the program was dramatically reduced, from an envisioned $4 billion (enough for about 1 million rebates) to one-fourth of that, and the current delay in finalizing the program’s details means it won’t take advantage of the typical summer buying rush. In addition, many believe the owners of cars that qualify for the program won’t be able to afford to buy new cars – even with the available $4500 rebate."

Malware attacks U.S. Marshals & FBI

The solutions were bought and paid for, but installations of them are months & years behind. PC security has to be a priority even when it seems like a waste of time. This is one reason why turning on automated updates is important for personal and business systems.

Malware knocks out U.S. Marshals Service network - Network World:
"Malware Wednesday crippled Windows-based computer systems at the U.S. Marshals Service, which hunts federal fugitives and operates the country's witness protection program, knocking the agency’s network offline.

The agency's press office confirmed it was having network problems and that its e-mail system was down this morning, but it was unclear if the outage extended across the entire network.
. . .
The agency's Web site was up and running this morning, but a receptionist in the press office said "the agency's whole e-mail system is down, and the agency is unable to receive e-mail."

Later, another press office staffer confirmed that there were network problems.

Members of the agency's IT staff were communicating with vendors via Gmail accounts as they attempted to work through the issue.
. . .
The U.S. Marshals Service runs Trend Micro’s OfficeScan, an anti-malware software that installs on desktops, laptops and mobile devices.

The agency, however, runs the 5.0 version, which is more than three years old. Trend Micro says protection against Neeris has been in OfficeScan since version 8. The current version is 10.

'[Their version] is a vastly out-of-date, end-of-life product,' said Sweeny.

In addition, Sweeny said the U.S. Marshals Service maintenance contract was up-to-date, meaning the agency had paid for upgrades to the software but had failed to install them.
. . .
23 of 24 major federal agencies had weaknesses in their agency-wide information security programs. Those agencies included the DOJ.

While the Neeris worm has been around since 2005, a new version was discovered just last month that used the same vulnerability targeted by Conficker. The new version spreads via the Windows "autorun" command.

A patch to close the critically-rated vulnerability that Neeris and Conficker exploit was issued in October by Microsoft."

The FBI was also affected but is saying less.

Computer virus strikes US Marshals, FBI affected:
"Law enforcement computers were struck by a mystery computer virus Thursday, forcing the FBI and the U.S. Marshals to shut down part of their networks as a precaution.

The U.S. Marshals confirmed it disconnected from the Justice Department's computers as a protective measure after being hit by the virus; an FBI official said only that that agency was experiencing similar issues and was working on the problem.
. . .
Marshals spokeswoman Nikki Credic said the agency's computer problem began Thursday morning. The FBI began experiencing similar problems earlier.
. . .
In addition to their external networks, most federal law enforcement agencies have an internal-only network to prevent cyber-snoopers from sensitive data.

In Thursday's incident, the Marshals Service shut down its Internet access and some e-mail while staff worked on the problem. The FBI made similar moves to protect its system."

AT&T offers $100K reward in fiber optic vandalism

This is an example of why some people keep their land-line and their cell phones with different carriers. You don't want to be digging our that 30 year old CB radio when there's a problem and you can't reach 911.

AT&T offers $100K reward in fiber optic vandalism; notes second incident Between the Lines ZDNet.com:

"At some point around 2 a.m. PDT, a fiber optic line owned by AT&T but leased to Verizon became damaged. It was located in a manhole about 10 feet below the roadway. San Jose Police told KCBS-radio that they suspect vandalism and are treating the area as a crime scene.
. . .
Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, AT&T’s networks were declared National Critical Infrastructures. Anyone who tampers with them is in violation of federal and state laws.

The damage cut off access to 911 emergency systems for people in the area.

There were actually two incidents - one in San Jose and another in San Carlos, which is about halfway between San Jose and San Francisco."

Our fancy Internet infrastructure operates on a wire and a prayer | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com:
"Barrett Lyon asks whether it’s possible to destroy the network with a hacksaw. In a word: Yup. It happened yesterday. AT&T used Twitter—home of the Fail Whale—to communicate with customers. Anyone see the irony in that one?

What’s truly scary is that we’re not just talking about the Internet here. The electric grid is vulnerable. Our transportation grid is vulnerable. Our infrastructure in the U.S. is a big sitting duck. The grid and the Internet are top of mind today, but I’m reminded of the overall infrastructure vulnerability every trip into Penn Station. Every once in a while you’ll see heavily armed police with their K-9 dogs in Penn Station’s lobby. It’s a common sight. However, if you really wanted to bring down the train station and subway it’s nothing a stray backpack couldn’t take care of.

Simply put, it’s impossible to completely secure all of the infrastructure out there. And everyone knows it. In 2003, a student dissertation raised national security concerns. It’s not rocket science to map infrastructure and cook up scenarios."