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Yahoo to Trillian: Talk to the hand - News - ZDNet
Yahoo to Trillian: Talk to the hand via Jonathan Speigner's Blog
Yahoo on Wednesday began blocking Cerulean Studios' Trillian software from communicating with its instant messaging service in its latest step to fence its popular client from third-party integrators.
Will other networks follow suit? Trillian makes money from pirating instant messenger services such as Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ and MSN. Part of me is glad to see 
fighting them off - I own some YHOO
, and so Trillian users have been getting a free ride at my expense.
When Trillian faced AOL for a similar access battle in 2002, much of the tech press cried foul.
Does Trillian meet a need? Certainly. I'd love to have a single client... But it's not up to parasites like Trillian to make this possible.
It's true that progress toward such interoperability...moves at a pace somewhere between glacial and tectonic. And I can think of business reasons...for services like AOL to shun working relationships with MSN, Yahoo, and others.
But that doesn't take away from the real issue: AOL's control of its own network. At the end of all this, if AOL doesn't want Trillian on its network, then Trillian should take the hint and just go away. David Coursey, ZDNet US
My senior software slash entrepreneurship project, BuddyGopher, is always at risk of getting shuttered from AOL's network. And so the other side of me is a little concerned. What if AOL follows suit to try blocking such pirate clients from accessing their proprietary network again? (Eventually they gave up trying to lock Trillian out.)
Luckily, BuddyGopher plays very nice with AOL's network. We consider our software to be a feature for AOL's official client. It was very important to me that BuddyGopher would only work with AOL's official client release (and not Trillian or GAIM) to encourage advertising impressions for AOL. We're not about to bite the hand that feeds us.
At a May 29 Toronto concert, Blink 182 asked attendees to pull out their lighters. When few people heeded the call, the lead singer announced, “We’re in the age of the Internet, everyone pull out their cell phone!” Within seconds, a sea of lights illuminated the audience. Says our Toronto Cool Hunter, “Everyone could not believe how amazing it looked.”
NewsGator - News Archive
NewsGator Technologies Closes Series A Funding from Mobius Venture Capital. Go behind the press release and read about it directly from the VC in his blog post, Why Did We Invest in NewsGator? I am glowing. I love life. I love sharing. Communication. Talking about things. Funding. Saturdays and Tuesdays and sunshine!... whoops, sorry, got carried away there. First day it hasn't rained in about a week here in Atlanta.
Business 2.0 - Magazine Article - The New Land of Opportunity
Business 2.0 - Magazine Article - The New Land of OpportunityAOL wins patent for IM TV
AOL wins patent for IM TV This enables friends to exchange messages that include links to a particular network or TV show ... When an AOL user pops up her buddy list, it would show what TV shows her friends are currently watching.Apple - Mac OS X - Tiger Preview - H.264/AVC
Information on the H.264/AVC protocol from Apple. I can't wait for videoconferencing - but first, we need FTTH.'Adult Swim' puts Cartoon Network in the fast lane
'Adult Swim' puts Cartoon Network in the fast lane Turner's research department employs hot girls from Atlanta. I say this from first-hand knowledge.For the first time, cable television will earn more from advertisers than the seven broadcast networks during primetime this season, according to Turner Broadcasting research officer Jack Wakshlag. Moreover, according to Wakshlag, cable will also wind up with a bigger share of total viewers -- 50.1 percent versus the networks' 47.3 percent (with the remainder divided among non-advertiser-supported channels). source
The ugly truth about mesh networks
Since the early days of 802.11b, I've always thought that mesh networking would some day be the holy grail of untethered communication. It eliminates costly backhaul connections and allows the network to Grow- not slow- with more users.
Bullocks, says this informative piece submitted to Daily Wireless - Ugly truths about mesh networks - they dont scale. Note that the author is also the inventor of a multi-radio mesh networking solution, MeshDynamics.
SilkRoad doubles client base with Asian merger
SilkRoad doubles client base with Asian merger via Austin Harris ... The last SilkRoad press release said they were headed for $25 million in sales this year. Now the figure has been bumped to $55 million. What's happening?IM name-dropping with Thomas Chau
Thoms Chau:
so the set of the movie I was supposed to go to in Australia next week
burnt down
Nick Gray WFU: who would you say is the
coolest person that you have ever interviewed?
Thoms Chau:
the best a-list star I would say is Ben Affleck
Nick Gray WFU: you i'viewed him for
Paycheck?
Thoms Chau:
yeah, he knows what to say and is funny
Thoms Chau: will ferrell was hilarious
*Thomas runs Cinema Confidential -- check it out if you like popular mainstream movies. Tom has interviewed about 75% of the stars in People magazine.
telluride history
Method STX: yes but do you know why it is
called Telluride
Method STX: it used to be one of the
deadliest mining settlements in the 19th century, the miners used to exclaim "To
Hell you ride" as they went to the area, the catch phrase was later shortened
and misunderstood by visitors. The name Telluride came about
apophenia: Friendster is desperate; viral marketing failed
Friendster is desperate; viral marketing failed via JNyou *have* to read the full message that these SuperFriends got (included in the full message). It has had me ROFL for hours.
Mass High Tech features CXO Systems
Malcolm Frank and his software company, CXO Systems, get a touch of press in this Mass High Tech article - Execs keeping an eye on business via dashboardsDashboards are hot, hot, hot, said Orlov. Just about everyone is starting to implement dashboard projects..
Maybe since CXO is in headquartered Waltham, this article is good local coverage. Or maybe I'm just snobby about print press, still high off of an inspiring conversation with a wonderful chick from the Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxx last Thursday night. BuddyGopher in USA Today? Yawn. J/K.
But seriously, CXO should be in Business Week- or at least Fast Company- by this time next year. The no-frills Boston office houses CXO's executives, all packed with experience of industry and passion'd on confidence in product. Development work happens in Sunnyvale and coding labor in Pune. That picture background above, with the scribbled and frantic dry erase marks covering Malcolm's office walls, isn't a set-up (but maybe his tie is!).
I've visited twice in the past six months, and each time Malcolm has had to wipe off some clean space before flash-whiteboarding whatever concept he is crash-course tutoring me on. So much to remember! And how can I possibly do it from Winston-Salem? I floated out of the business park, back into Boston over-whelmed and hyper-inspired.
So, yeah, I'm a raving CXO Systems fan. You should be, too. It's neat to follow small companies as they get bigger. Read the Forrester Research report on dashboards if you haven't already, and remember - great leaders make great companies.
Safety Parachutes
Safety parachutes are becoming popular in single engine private aircraft, ultralights and hang gliders. BRS Parachutes (OTC: BRSI.OB) has several videos of their chutes deploying in mid-air. As pilots begin to adopt BRS chutes into their planes, safety increases. The company keeps a track record of their saved lives.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Budding DJs get mixing on mobiles
Budding DJs get mixing on mobiles via blogdex Speaking of which, is there a simple metronome application (or ringtone) for the Symbian OS? It seems like it would be an easy sell via appropriate music channels that would work on 99% of today's mobile telephones.
moblog
nick600.textamerica.com is a feed of the low-quality pictures that I take on my Treo 600 mobile telephone. If I have time, I try to include a relevant caption using the device's tiny QWERTY keyboard.
TheFeature :: The Black Magician of Antenna Design
The Black Magician of Antenna DesignHam radio head Rob Vincent couldn't find an antenna that fit outside his new house. Ten years later, he's patenting a revolutionary new antenna design with applications from AM radio to cellular telephony. via BoingBoingThe supply chain reaction - silicon.com
vendor-managed inventory is JIT II (article proofThe next step up from collaborative forecasting is vendor-managed inventory, an approach being adopted by many big retailers.... For many companies it's enough just to share data, for example providing suppliers with the retailers' stock levels to help them plan their supply.)a Justin Hall story
Justin Hall dropped his cell phone into a bowl of water. I found his recount of it laugh-out-loud funny. Treo's Gone Wild!Last night after three double-shots of tequila at a videogame speakeasy in downtown Los Angeles, I was eating 2am Korean food with friends...
21 Rules of Thumb ? How Microsoft develops its Software
21 Rules of Thumb - How Microsoft develops its Software via Slashdot- 1. Don’t know what you don’t know.
- 5. Use zero defect (ZD) milestones.
- 7. Never trade a bad date for an equally bad date
A BUSINESS SERVICE
Again, looking to the future... THE ULTIMATE EXECUTIVE RETREAT BY NASA BUSINESS SERVICES
What the hell is this leaked PowerPoint presentation that I found? Download it here and drop me an e-mail if you have any idea. Sounds cool, though. SpaceShipOne and the whole team at Scaled Composites must really be putting the coals in NASA's pants.
AWAY MESSAGES
a peek into the future ... AWAY MESSAGES ARE THE NEW MICROSOFT OUTLOOK CALENDARNew VIA mini-ITX board targets vertically challenged apps
Whoa, awesome - New VIA mini-ITX board targets vertically challenged apps via Slashdot
Maigh quote
MaighTW:
you have these intense flings with technology, it's fascinating...really
MaighTW: like sordid little affairs that
burn hot and then...NEXT
Famous Quote
It's like the famous story of the three bricklayers: The first says, 'I'm laying bricks,' the second says, 'I'm making a wall,' and the third says, 'I'm building a cathedral.'Mark McClain , Vice President, Tivoli as quoted by Fast Company
Feld Thoughts: The Torturous World of Powerpoint
This is making the rounds about a lot of VC blogs... Several years ago, Chris Wand (one of the guys that works with me at Mobius Venture Capital) put together a list of questions that a pitch to a VC should address. The world would be a better place if all entreprenuers could automagically incorporate this outline into their pitches - at least to me. Feld Thoughts: The Torturous World of PowerpointEBay buys India auction house for $50 million in cash
EBay buys India auction house for $50 million in cashSalesforce.com IPO
It will be very important to watch ticker CRM today... Salesforce.com sets higher IPO priceSalesforce.com set its IPO price at $11 a share on Tuesday, surpassing the high end of its pricing range because of strong investor demand.
Billionaire Profile - Craig O. McCaw
Billionaire Profile - Craig O. McCaw
As teenagers, all four boys worked for one of their father's small cable television services: climbing poles, stringing cable, and selling subscriptions door-to-door. Their father sold the boys one tiny, 2,000-subscriber system in exchange for shares of preferred stock in the company. Craig soon took the lead in managing the company. Although Craig was dyslexic, he made an extra effort in school both at his prep school in Seattle and at Stanford University, where he studied history. While at Stanford, he continued to run the cable company from his dormitory room.
Continue reading:
Craig O. McCaw, Pioneer of Telecommunications
VentureBlog: The Who Hates Who Of The Technology World
Neat article with candid notes from the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital conference... VentureBlog: The Who Hates Who Of The Technology World
Steve Jobs ... threw a punch at technologists working in the music industry. When asked why it was so hard for the music guys to make good technology decisions, he said that they were getting bad advice. Why? Because, according to Jobs, just as no top tier A&R professional would go work at a technology company, only a "3rd rate" technologist would go work at a label.
We didn't get to hear who Google hates -- Eric Schmidt was at the conference as an observer and he appeared in the rebirth of the Computer Bowl, but he was seen walking around the conference wearing a t-shirt that read 'quiet period' on the front and 'can't answer questions' on the back.
eLance
Tired: Telling jokes to pass time on the phone with cute-sounding customer service reps.Wired: Asking when Elance is going public to pass time with their cute-sounding customer service reps. For a good time, call 877-535-2623.
Books I'm Reading
I recently purchased these three books:
Last week, I finished reading these two books:
If you decide to purchase any of the above from Amazon, a small percentage (about 3%, I think) will get bumped to Cory Doctorow, webmaster of my favorite meta-site, BoingBoing. Be sure to read Cory's excellent Microsoft Research DRM talk. It is one of those few recent things on the web that I locally saved and took to a party/bar/lunch to read/sink in/contemplate.
WiFi for High Fly
Here is a WiFi adapter for external mounting on commercial aircraft - Airline.Link Technical Highlights.
LiveTV was aquired in 2002 by JetBlue for $41 million in cash (and the retirement of $39 million of LiveTV debt). LiveTV's inflight entertainment systems are partially responsible for JetBlue's successFastCompany CEO profile.
Vidblog13
I went to a party last night and tried to work out some "Man on the Street" lines about China. Lesson learned - Mr. Drunk and Miss Successful Improvisation don't hang out much ~ Remember! The best media comes from those you trust ~ Vidblog 13
Jack Valenti Testimony at 1982 House Hearing on Home Recording of Copyrighted Works
Jack Valenti Testimony at 1982 House Hearing on Home Recording of Copyrighted WorksThe Google PC generation: June 18, 2004: By Jon Udell
InfoWorld: The Google PC generation The Google supercomputer is changing how we think about Internet-scale software.Historically we’ve relied on fancier user interfaces to soak up spare client-side cycles, and that trend continues with Longhorn’s 3D-intensive Avalon. Longhorn also aims to create a new breed of applications that will produce and consume systemwide metadata. I applaud the goals, but there’s more to do. Imagine that Google, rather than Microsoft, controlled the desktop. Job No. 1 for the Google PC would be to vacuum up all available sources of data. Job No. 2 would be to exploit that data to the hilt.
Amazon requires SSN?
Amazon's affiliate program (they call it, Associates) has maintained its hold as the most solid and widely-used example of successful revenue sharing on-line. (I omit adult entertainment web sites, who sit arguably high on the list of successful industries that have embraced this marketing method.)
I logged in today. My old account, used to generate commissions whenever a visitor to my American Pie fan siteI'm not going to endorse archive.org just yet - that's another story, Googler. purchased a DVD or CD soundtrack, was still on-line.
After changing my e-mail address (spam forced death to nick@nickgray.net), Amazon asked me for my Social Security Number. Sure! I entered it in, and I wonder - why didn't I have to do this before? I remember a $500 maximum payment being allowed in the past to individuals without SSN requirements from an affiliate provider. Did a law change requiring more stringent records, or is Amazon simply growing their venture?
There might be a book link in my next post.
Krispy Kreme
Which 2004 Wake Forest graduate recently accepted a Project Management position in the Coffee and Beverage Division at a famous Local Donut Company? This is an amazing hire for Krispy Kreme ~ Gabe is easily in the Top 5 most impressive students I've met while at WFU.
Visual View of Global Searching
"It's an animation showing the relative numbers of queries to the Google site in various parts of the world. Very cool, and revealing." Visual View of Global Searching -- direct link to 500k MOVVidblog 12
Did you ever make little potions as a kid? Throw some baking soda, Coca Cola, dish soap and milk in there just to see if anything explodes. I think my vidblogs share some experimentation elements with those magic potions. Here is my 12th vidblog. The Chris Cornell soundtrack is like milk.
Cory Doctorow: Microsoft Research DRM talk
Cory Doctorow: Microsoft Research DRM talkDRM means Digital Rights ManagementJapan Media Review -- Camera phones changing the definition of picture-worthy
Japan Media Review -- Camera phones changing the definition of picture-worthyUnlike the traditional camera, the camera phone is an intimate and ubiquitous presence that invites a new kind of personal awareness, a persistent alertness to the visually newsworthy that makes amateur photojournalists out of its users.changes to site feed
If you are currently using a news reader to view this site, you will need to change your settings. I have upgraded from Atom to 
. Hat tip FeedBurner via Jeff Nolan.
hey nick!
India's answer to Google is the all new improved storage at rediff.com - the country's premier (been my favourite for years!) portal. They too are now offering 1 GB free email space for all users and 2GB for premium users.
thought u'd love to know :)
Thanks, Kaushal!
With Akamai claiming that their recent Denial of Service Attack was orchestrated via a complex bot net, I'm reminded of an e-mail that was sent to my BuddyGopher service last month.
We've been investigating the growth of an IRC botnet using a variant of Agobot/Gaobot/Phatbot to propagate itself across numerous university networks. Various reports suggest that anywhere from 10,000 to 60,000 systems have been part of this botnet, and that some keylogging software has been involved. These are unconfirmed reports, but they are quite plausible.
The botnet uses a number of different propagation mechanisms, but it is most successful in doing some social engineering. For example, infected systems will masquerade AOL Instant Messenger "buddies" by including a reference in away messages with something like:
i just made a screensaver! everyone check it out
Continue reading. Did