As predicted, Time Warner announced yesterday that they would no longer be implementing absurdly low bandwidth caps, ranging from 10 GB per month to 40 GB, depending on how much you were willing to pay. This in comparison with the only other “Cap” in the US, Comcast, who has a not-rigidly-enforced 250GB cap for $45 per month.

Time Warner tried to pass this off as a “misunderstanding” (LOL) and watched their stock plunge, because investors know that absurd restrictions means customers leave, and when customers leave, quarterly profits decrease.

So the PR damage control team at Time Warner is on the case, and this little event will go down in history as one of the most absurd tech policies ever.

Almost as immensely stupid as the FCC’s famous rejection of Bell Labs in 1948 when Bell Labs requested the (now cell phone) frequencies for testing of what they thought they could invent. The FCC in all of it’s unconstitutional glory told them, Nope, you can’t invent the (cell phone). Their reason? “It’s not possible.”

Sony engineers made the same request 20 years later, in the late 60’s, and we all know how that story has ended. Many third graders now have their own cell phone. Thanks for the 20 year delay FCC.

A computer virus called “ConFicker” has the potential to be the worst virus ever, and so this email will help you protect your computer from falling victim.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/24/conficker.computer.worm/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conficker

Summary: There are an estimated 5-10 Million computers already infected by this worm (which so far has been relatively harmless - so you probably don’t know if you currently have it!), and on April 1st 2009, this worm “wakes up” and “phones home” looking for it’s next instructions.  Noone knows what the virus writer will do with the millions of PC’s he will have control over, but it could be anything from just something annoying, to advertising scam of some sort, to possibly deleting every file on every infected computer, or harvesting personal data for the purpose of identity theft.  No one knows, because the virus writer has yet to release this new part of the virus to the Internet, and he only has to release it on a single infected computer, and then the virus knows how to spread this new set of instructions to every other infected computer.

So, this MIGHT be very serious, but very simple to protect yourself from, if you prepare ahead of time.  Microsoft has already released Windows Updates fix this vulnerability, back in October, so all you need to do is to get all the Windows Updates for your computer.  Hopefully your computer is set to get these automatically, but if not, here’s how to fix that.

If you have an Apple:
You’re immune!  Until Apple computers are more common, there isn’t enough incentive for virus writers to write Apple viruses.  This is a Windows only virus, but for the sake of good computer maintenance, you should also do all your software updates!
1. Go to “Finder”
2. In the Apple menu, click “Software Update” (the scan will take a minute or two)
3. Click Install, and depending on your Internet speed, this could take a while.  If you’re on dial up, start it before you go to bed, and let it go all night.

If you don’t have an Apple, then you need to update Windows, for ALL VERSIONS of Windows.  Yes even Vista.

To get Windows Updates:
1. Open Internet Explorer, and go here: http://windowsupdate.Microsoft.com/
2. Click “Express”, this step might take a minute
3. Click “Install Updates”  This process could be very quick, but could take many hours depending on your Internet speed, age of your computer, and when you last did updates.  If you are on DIAL-UP, you will have to let this step run all night.
4. When it’s done, you’ll probably have to restart your computer.
5. If the update process took more than an hour, that means you haven’t updated in a long time, so you will need to get even more updates, and you can do that by going back up, and repeating this process at step #1  (If on the second time through there are MANY updates again, you might even have to do it a third time!)

To set your computer up to do updates automatically in the future: (you should do this step no matter what)
1. Click the Start menu, and go to Control Panel
2. Double Click “Automatic Updates”
3. Click the “Automatic” option, and click apply.

If you have trouble using the Windows Update website, then you might be infected:
1. Use Internet Explorer to go here: http://safety.live.com/ (Live.com is a Microsoft website, by the way) Click “Full Service Scan”
2. You will need to install the ActiveX Controls for the site, and allow them to run when the tan bar at the top drops down.
3. Click “Complete Scan”, and this process will take a while, so be patient.
4. Follow the Instructions, and if it finds anything, let the scanner delete the viruses it finds.
5. Once it finishes, you might have to restart, and after that, try again to get Windows Updates (instructions above)

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So you have an iPhone, (or are considering buying one) and you read a tutorial like this and you think great! Another great idea to justify the expense of this data plan, and boy this sure could be handy. Well, AT&T doesn’t think that’s fair use. Rumors are that if AT&T suspects you’re “abusing” the data plan that you’ve already paid for, well, they’re not going to be happy, and this is even against the terms of service listed in your EDGE data contract.

Well, this is one more example of a company who doesn’t know what industry it’s in. AT&T should not only allow this usage, but they should work with Apple to build that functionality in directly, make it easy and plug and play. If bandwidth REALLY is a potential expense for AT&T then the ridiculously simple solution is to just charge extra for those high bandwidth users. Maybe an extra 5$ per GB for anyone who goes over a GB in a month. Simple. But the fact that they not only aren’t doing that, much less threatening their customers who might consider doing that on their own is downright absurd.

AT&T should want to provide a service that people can use as many ways possible. Imagine if Ford sold cars, but they put in the sales contract that the buyer agrees to not use their new car as soon as it gets rusty! Because rusty Fords are bad for Ford’s image! If Ford harassed their customers by insisting on having this in every contract of every vehicle sold, no one would buy a Ford. And it’s the same with AT&T, the iPhone in conjunction with this data plan that literally takes the Internet with you everywhere you go is an amazing product, even more amazing if you could hook up your laptop an use that data plan on a train, or anywhere else without Internet.

Giving people this functionality takes little to no expense, and as long as AT&T protected themselves against bandwidth abuse (if that really would become a problem for them) then great! They are giving people one more reason to buy this plan from them, and one more advantage over their competition. And it’s so easy.

AT&T needs to WAKE UP and realize that THIS IS THE BUSINESS THEY’RE IN. This is such a simple concept, and when I see nonsense in the world like this it makes me wonder how AT&T can accomplish anything. I mean the technology of the iPhone and it’s data plan are impressive, but why not go that last inch and make it complete.