Free Republic

"We're gonna change the whole system. We're not gonna put a new battery in the system. No, no, we want a new system". -- Van Jones Glenn Beck talking about Google story -- Google is too far deeply in bed with the US government -- there are some 20 attorneys general investigating this. Something doesn't seem right. Please research this. I don't know what it is, but have a feeling it has something to do with internet regulations, net neutrality. I've been writing about this for weeks in my weekly column at World Net Daily. Keeping an eye on this...

Google (GOOG), already one of the key players in rapidly escalating debates about online privacy, this afternoon admitted that it has scooped up snippets of people’s online activities broadcast over wireless Wi-Fi networks over the past four years. The admission made this afternoon in Google’s official blog is likely to raise more worries about potential online privacy breaches, an issue that in the past week has focused most directly on social networking site Facebook.

Israel has banned imports of Apple Inc's hottest new product, the iPad, citing concerns the powerful gadget's wireless signals could disrupt other devices. Customs officials said on Thursday they have already confiscated about 10 of the lightweight tablet computers since Israel announced the new regulations this week. The ban prevents anyone - even tourists - from bringing iPads into Israel until officials certify that they comply with local transmitter standards. The US Federal Communications Commission allows devices with Wi-Fi capability to broadcast at higher power levels than are allowed in Europe and Israel - meaning that the iPad's stronger signal...

As airlines struggle, Amtrak is trying and take a bit of their market share. Business travelers who routinely fly the shuttle -- mildly affordable, and as comfortable as can be expected -- have enjoyed wi-fi access on some airlines, but not all. Amtrak sees an opening here: It's announced plans to offer wi-fi access on Acela trains between Boston, New York, and Washington, starting in March. Amtrak's Wi-Fi will be free at first, but the carrier may impose a fee in the future. While one reason for introducing the wi-fi perk is to compete with the likes of Delta and...

(Santa Fe New Mexican, The (NM) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jan. 8--A Santa Fe man who says he suffers from electromagnetic sensitivity is suing his next-door neighbor for refusing to turn off her cell phone and other electronic devices. Arthur Firstenberg, who has actively opposed the proliferation of wireless systems in public buildings, claims he has been made homeless by Raphaela Monribot's rejection of his requests. "Within a day of (Monribot) moving in, I began to feel sick when I was in my house," Firstenberg wrote in his affidavit. "(Monribot's) house is located 25 feet from my house. Further, because...

When even leaving a note is too direct…you folks with wireless networks still named “linksys” or “trendnet” are clearly missing out on a priceless opportunity to pi$$ off your neighbors.

A Blackberry blackout - the second in less than a week - had users of the popular phone and texting service fuming Tuesday night. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/tech_guide/2009/12/22/2009-12-22_werent_blackberry_useful.html#ixzz0aUOdyTNU

While the Pentagon may not have been listening to the increasing calls, from the troops, for a militarized smart phone, one defense supplier (Raytheon) has, and resulted in RATS (Raytheon Android Tactical System). Taking advantage of the open source Android operating system (think of it as mobile Linux), and the thousands of applications already available for it, RATS combines this with increasingly powerful, and inexpensive smart phone hardware, to produce something the troops want. Actually, RATS isn't a phone, it's a wi-fi device that looks like one (as does the Ipod Touch). RATS has GPS, a compass, vidcam and software...

I work near a wi-fi restaurant.....

Starting in January 2010, US McDonald's restaurants will no longer charge for Wi-Fi: The quick-service chain has service in 11,000 of its 14,000 locations in the US, and previously charge $2.95 for two hours access. The network is operated by AT&T, originally contracted by Wayport which was acquired by the phone giant last year. Most AT&T subscribers get free access at McDonald's, Starbucks, and a few thousand other locations...

Apple's Base Stations Have Three 802.11n Streams DECEMBER 5, 2009 Apple's October revision to its AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule lets these units run at up to 450 Mbps, 50 percent faster: I knew that Apple had put a 3x3 antenna array into these devices, which could be argued was intended to improve speed-over-range, a common reason to add antennas. (Read the background in my 20 October 2009 article, "Apple Slipstreams 3x3 into Wi-Fi Base Stations.") But I had heard that Apple had built three streams in, making these devices capable of a raw 450 Mbps operation, or...

While rumors of a possible Verizon-compatible iPhone in 2010 persist, one analyst has predicted that Apple will instead bring the iPhone to another GSM-based carrier in the U.S.: T-Mobile. In a note to investors released this week, Doug Reid of Thomas Weisel Partners said his firm believes that T-Mobile, and not Verizon, will be the beneficiary when Apple's exclusive agreement with AT&T expires next year... AT&T's exclusive contract with Apple for the iPhone is due to expire in 2010... While the iPhone in its current iteration is compatible with T-Mobile's network, it is not capable of connecting to its high-speed...

I want to know how to get on the net with a P3.

Internet hot spots are already available in some models of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, the Volkswagen Routan and Cadillac CTS vehicles as a dealer option. Autonet Mobile, maker of a Wi-Fi hot spot for the car, has created an OEM developer kit to allow its “hotA” spot to be embedded in new cars. According to Reed Business Informaton’s Twice Magazine, the Autonet hot spot produces an EV-DO cellular connection that is then converted to Wi-Fi, allowing anyone in your car access to the internet on a number of devices. Users in a car can watch YouTube, check Facebook and listen...

Don't like the idea of your neighbors rudely snooping on the wireless signal you slaved to pay for from the lazy comfort of their living room? It's not just about slowing down your connection; while they're downloading Mad Men via bittorrent, you could be on the hook for their actions. Wireless security and encryption systems are fraught with problems and insecurity, and other methods to restrict your signal to a small area are cumbersome at best. Enter a new solution: Anti-Wi-Fi paint. The idea is simple: Use a special paint on walls where you don't want wireless to pass through...

The newest trend in Internet fraud is "vacation hacking," a sinister sort of tourist trap. Cybercriminals are targeting travelers by creating phony Wi-Fi hot spots in airports, in hotels, and even aboard airliners. Vacationers on their way to fun in the sun, or already there, think they're using designated Wi-Fi access points. But instead, they're signing on to fraudulent networks and hand-delivering everything on their laptops to the crooks. "More and more people are traveling with Wi-Fi devices like smartphones and laptops," says Marian Merritt, Internet safety advocate at the computer-security giant Symantec. "Airports and airlines and hotels are responding....

Reportedly, Senator John McCain wants Predators to provide with uncensored Wi-Fi coverage to the people of Iran. I don't know if this is even technically possible, but its so preposterous and fantastically cool that I love the idea: "During the Cold War, we provided the Polish people and dissidents with printing presses. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are the modern-day printing presses. They are the way to spread information and keep the hope of freedom alive amongst the Iranian people." Of course, the Predators—or whatever other method—could be taken down with missiles or fighter planes, but the basic idea is spot...

Cohda intelligent transport system allows cars to communicate mph or kph and location and BMW/Car 2 Care are researching A device that could dramatically reduce the number of collisions by eliminating driver error is to be tested in Europe. The system uses technology similar to wi-fi to enable vehicles to communicate with each other, sharing information about their speed and location, to determine when a crash is imminent. It can then warn the driver or take over the controls. Cohda Wireless, an Australian technology start-up, will announce this month that it has signed a multi-million-pound contract with a partnership of...

  This proposed bill has been floating around the ether for a long time -- and it's just made a big time comeback. Essentially, the Republican-backed bill would be a "sweeping" federal measure which would require all ISPs and many WiFi access point providers to keep records of their users for two years, in order to aid police investigations. There are two separate bills -- one in the Senate and one in the House -- both named the "Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth Act," or Internet Safety Act. Catchy, right? The bill would cover, as...

Republican politicians on Thursday called for a sweeping new federal law that would require all Internet providers and operators of millions of Wi-Fi access points, even hotels, local coffee shops, and home users, to keep records about users for two years to aid police investigations. The legislation, which echoes a measure proposed by one of their Democratic colleagues three years ago, would impose unprecedented data retention requirements on a broad swath of Internet access providers and is certain to draw fire from businesses and privacy advocates. "While the Internet has generated many positive changes in the way we communicate and...