Sobig-F blamed for massive increase in spam

This would explain the inordinate amounts of SPAM I am receiving these days. Read more at The Register.

Inherent insecurity

I read this article Inherent insecurity | CNET News.com thinking that Mr. Brittan was going to bash developers and coders for not carefully inspecting their lines of programming code. As I read on, I sensed he was going to blame PC users for not being proactive in protecting their computers against viruses. Finally, he came to the point -- he was plugging utility computing.

While I agree with his point that Microsoft is not only to blame in this war with viruses, I think users need to be more responsible and developers more diligent with scanning their code for problems. Utility computing is certainly a nice solution for large enterprises, but as a consumer, I don't want to have to pay to use a program.

The upside to utility computing is that I can access programs at will. If the business model allows for it, I can purchase a day's use of one program and keep others available for a monthly basis. Maybe someday we'll not have to worry about viruses attacking our individual computers when everyone has equal access to the Internet.

IBM to Announce Micro-Chip Breakthrough

The revolution that is nanotechnology is beginning to make some progress. Read more at IBM to Announce Micro-Chip Breakthrough.

BT, Intel and Microsoft get into bed at your home

While you won't see something like this happening in the US anytime soon, I think this is a great idea to bring PC's into every home. An initiative like this will not only help educate workers, thus making them more valuable to their employers, but will make employees happier, which leads to more productivity in the long run. Read more at silicon.com.

Gateway Media PC Designed For Stereo Rack

This is my idea of a Home Theater PC: Gateway Media PC Designed For Stereo Rack. I'll be keeping an eye on these for a future home theater system.

MPx200 for $29.95 AR

Exactly what I was referring to in the previous post. Why do I need to ask for all these rebates? If the phone is going to cost me $30, don't make me jump through hoops to get it at that price! I'm not a circus animal for your entertainment here. I'm your purchasing consumer! You're supposed to make me happy so I'll spend my money on your equipment. I think the corporate world is just blind and stupid these days.

See Pocket PC Thoughts - News, Views, Rants & Raves for more information.

Cell phone lockdown

This article -- Cell phone lockdown | CNET News.com -- makes the frustration of many cellular phone users evident. Why do I need to buy a new cellular phone from a new carrier if I have one that works just fine, and is the same type of phone (i.e. TDMA, CDMA or GSM)? On the top of my wish list is the Motorola MPx200, which is currently only available at AT&T Wireless. My cellular provider is Cingular, and I would like to use this phone on their GSM network. Rumor has it that Cingular will make the phone available some time early next year. Why can't I just buy the phone unlocked and use it with whatever provider I want?

It's a very simple argument: If the provider spends all that money on developing the infrastructure and then you can buy the phone from any vendor, how does the provier make enough to cover infrastructure development? I still think it's a lousy argument! The consumer should be the one benefitting here, not the provider.