The Truth about Net Neutrality

This Forbes article (November, 2014) discusses Netflix's public complaint asking for "Net Neutrality". But the truth was far different than what appeared.  Netflix thought the Cable TV Providers were "throttling" Netflix pipes to customers, even showing a graph that demonstrated significant speed increases after a new contract with Comcast.
What was really going on?  Prior to the contract with Comcast, which allowed DIRECT hookup between Netflix and Comcast, providers like Netflix had to go through "transit providers". Their choice had been Cogent. So what REALLY happened was Cogent was intentionally throttling its wholesale providers, to the benefit of its retail providers. You cut Cogent out--transmission speeds go up!

Here are the details:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrydownes/2014/11/25/how-netflix-poisoned-the-net-neutrality-debate/

Now subsequent to this, Netflix is fighting for this "Net Neutrality" because their customers are now using over 30% of ALL downloaded traffic on the Internet. So ISP providers want Netflix to pay for that--Netflix doesn't want to pay. If they can shift the cost to Comcast--hey guess who's the bad guy?

http://bgr.com/2013/11/11/netflix-youtube-bandwidth-consumption/

So what happens if the FCC takes it over?
1) Expect taxes for Internet usage (minor)
2) "If you like your plan, you get to keep your plan".  Look for a whole new way to charge for usage.

but worst of all...

3) you just gave control of THE BIGGEST freedom of information vehicle to an organization who could shut down your use of the internet, i.e. familiar with the use of Internet in China?

What's needed is for YOU to send a message you do NOT want this FCC takeover.  Last day for comments is FEB 26, 2015.   Here's one place you can make your voice heard.

http://action.politicalmedia.com/17314/constitutionally-say-no-to-fcc-internet-takeover/?ifr=820

Adding a DRM File to Zune

I wasn't sure I could do this, but...

I downloaded an audiobook from the library. It was WMA with DRM protection. That was all that was available. So I started up OverDrive, and was hoping that after I downloaded it to my Windows 7 desktop, I could transfer a working copy to my Zune.

Here's what the OverDrive application looked like after the download:

So from here you select your audiobook on the right (it will turn blue), then the "Transfer" button is active
Select Transfer (after you've plugged in your Zune but close the Zune Software on the Windows 7 machine). OverDrive will go find your Zune and then ask you about downloading.

It shows up on the Zune in a new section called "audiobooks". Wow! Terrific! And it worked!

Update (2/10/2015)
The above method will NOT work with Windows Phones--the only WMA/DRM files that will work on Windows Phones must come via the XBox Music Service.

Using the Overdrive App on Windows Phone does not support WMA/DRM files either.

Please leave a comment if you know of any other device that will play WMA/DRM files checked out from the library.

Why can't I upgrade the security component in OverDrive Media Console (the upgrade button is grayed out)?

This one is a real pain.  You checked out a download audiobook  in WMA format from the library and you try to download using OverDrive and you get this message:

You need to update a "security" component in Windows Media Player.  Other sites had various suggestions. I keyed in on the link to this site.

http://drmlicense.one.microsoft.com/Indivsite/en/indivit.asp

But upon arrival the  "Upgrade" button was grayed out.  So I followed these instructions:

1.    Launch Internet Explorer (I used the Run As Administrator) option
(instead of left clicking on IE, Right click, then select Run As Administrator--here's a picture)

2.    Select Tools from the top menu, and click Internet Options.

3.    In the panel that pops up, select the Security tab.

4.    Uncheck the option for “Enable Protected Mode (requires restarting Internet Explorer)”

5.    Click Apply, OK, and close the Internet Explorer browser.

6.    Restart Internet Explorer and go to the address http://drmlicense.one.microsoft.com/Indivsite/en/indivit.asp.

7.    The  Upgrade button should now be operational.





But it wasn't. So I went back to the Tools Menus and in there I selected the following:

8. Go to tools, Compatibility view. (puts a check mark beside it)

That didn't work either, so I also added a check mark for:
9. Go to tools, Activex filtering

And that did work!


So I thought I'd pass it on.

British Airways -- Incredible Airfares?

Cruising Trip Advisor today (3/11/14) I came across this ad in the left hand column.

Ok, I thought, let's see what they think is "incredible".  According to dictionary.com it means "so extraordinary as to seem impossible". That's something to try to live up to, eh? As my main port for flying is Seattle, WA I decided to try airfares from there. Generally prices to major cities in Europe have averaged around $1,100 round-trip, economy fare, with one suitcase included, 51 lbs. max. I clicked on "Book now" to check it out.  Even though it said INCREDIBLE, I'm becoming cynical regarding ads any more because they seem to stretch the truth farther and farther just to get you to look at them. But I digress.

I chose London Heathrow (after all, this was a Britain ad), and picked a month out, with a one-week stay.  I picked Tuesday for a departure day, as it is one of the cheaper days. It turned out it was a British Airways site, which did have a highlighted "lowest price" listed among the various choices for flying to London.

Response time was good, and I then selected "lowest price" as a first priority, then shortest flying time as a second. Here's what came back:

The flight over wasn't bad (around $600), but the flight back was in the $900 range. So the number above was the cheapest. So sad. I was feeling misled. 

A second page mentioned a "generous baggage allowance". Upon further inspection that meant the standard 51lbs. suitcase and the one carry-on.  I thought maybe there were some large taxes and fees that drove up the price.  So I looked at them.  Here they are:

So the governments want $235 of the total, about 16%. A bit high, but not outlandish.  But BA had a second charge on there--a "Carrier Imposed Fee" of over $450. I've heard it described as a fuel surcharge, but I've also seen other airlines that have this carrier fee AND a fuel surcharge.  And let's face it, oil is not going back down to $70/bbl or whatever it takes to dump the fuel surcharge. So why is this $450 on there? Maybe it helps to keep the taxes down by calling it a fee. The fee doesn't seem to be applied when booking reward travel, but I'm not an expert on BA rewards.
And it appears they credit full flyer miles for travel in economy, unlike Lufthansa which now offers around 25% of actual miles flown. Of course $300 in higher fares (over the competition) at $.02/mi should be worth 15,000 miles.

Still the prices didn't seem all that INCREDIBLE to me. I decided to use my handy rule-of-thumb calculator. A good airline should be able to fly you at a cheapest rate of $.10/mile (known as CASM in the industry). Long-hauls are cheaper, because they have only one takeoff (which is what eats up fuel) and one landing (which means fewer landing fees). How did BA do on this measure? 

Indo.com has long had a mileage calculator for the mileage between two points on the globe.  Here's what it had to say about SEA to LON.

So a round trip would be about 9,600 miles--total cost should be around $960. Tack on $240 in govt. fees and you end up at $1200. What about other airlines?

From Kayak.com same day one-stops from Seattle to London Heathrow:

Iberia  - $1089
Air Canada - $1263
United - $1281

And non-stops?

Virgin - $1409
Delta - $1441
BA - $1901 -- yes $1901--our flight above involves a one-stop in Chicago on the way back.

No thanks, BA, these prices are NOT incredible.

Buying an Airline Ticket On-line, Great Upgrade Price...Not!

So recently I was looking for an airline ticket to Europe--something without an In-Flight-Entertainment box blocking under seat room, two-across seating, not three (goodbye BA and IcelandAir). Seems that Delta/KLM and Lufthansa are the only ones who offer that. So I went further in the process and as part of it Delta put this ad into my screen...an upgrade? Oh, boy check this out! Maybe a good deal headed your way!

Round trips to Amsterdam from Seattle next Spring are running in the $1300 range for economy.  Here's the ad:

A screen shot of a pricey upgrade option

So with this ticket, for only an ADDITIONAL $1,980 I can change the ticket to one that's refundable! Whaaat? Or maybe I should just upgrade to Business Class, where I can get a real seat, where my shoulders don't hit the man in the next seat.  Gee it's only $2,324 over my ticket, that's pricey but....wait a minute...that $2,324 EACH WAY?

So my $1320 ticket becomes a $5700 ticket.  Theoretically, I could buy four adjacent economy tickets, then lie down the whole trip (both ways), treat myself to a $400 meal in Europe, and come out even.

I guess the algorithms aren't quite perfect yet, huh?

Century Link Has Secure Access

Couldn't pass this one up. I was having trouble logging in to the Century Link website to check out my phone bill. I clicked on the "forgot password" and this was the next screen.

screen shot from my attempted password recovery

Definitely secure!

Who Else is Concerned about all this Data Collection by the Federal Government?

Once all these stories popped up about the Utah data center, the handing over of access to files by Verizon, Microsoft, drones everywhere, et al, I started thinking about it.  Up 'til then, I took solace in the fact that large bureaucracies seemed to have trouble doing much of anything right, let alone spy on any and all Americans.  Then it started to sink in--a lot of what you dream about happening in the future is technologically possible, it's just usually too expensive to implement. But with technology getting cheaper every day, one day it will be feasible to do.  Like connect all your credit card transactions with your captured photos of your license plates and track you with your cell phone, to linking up your emails and your phone calls (did you know digital phone calls allow for easy searching for certain words where the old analog phones didn't?).

So then just recently I read a novel by Brad Thor called Black List.  It tied together a lot of these themes...it didn't have government go corrupt, but it was close. And in the epilogue the President jots down on a notepad three legislative issues he wants addressed ASAP:

"1. A state of national emergency could last for only one year. Any period beyond that would need approval by a two-thirds vote of Congress.

2. All warrantless surveillance of American citizens was to be terminated immediately. Going forward, it would be a capital offense to surveil American citizens [by government] without proper judicial review and written authorization.

3. In order to curb insider trading, all members of Congress, as well as all federal employees who work in the defense, technology, and intelligence sectors of government, were to be prohibited from investing the stock market. "

The third item was created to prevent a section of the government amassing money "off the grid" that could be then be used to assist in the implementation of a takeover.

Given some of the scary stuff FISA allows, I'd like to see #1 happen right away, and then not allow FISA warrants unless it's a state of national emergency.


Pretty good advice. Let's get started.