In a world loaded with technology we act like campers swatting flies with 19th century band allocations. –

The problem is that we’re all locked into the spectrum offered by a single cell phone carrier, and our phones can’t even access most of the wifi hotspots that are in range, much less use them to make calls.

As Yap et al. outline in a provocative new paper entitled Delivering Capacity for the Mobile Internet by Stitching Together Networks, this leads to all sorts of inefficiencies that could be solved by a network ruled by standards that allowed devices to be agnostic about which portion of the wireless spectrum they are currently using:

- Increased capacity through more efficient statistical sharing. Cellular network operators tend to heavily over-provision their network in order to handle times of peak load and congestion. Most of the time, the net- work is lightly loaded. If instead they were able to hand off traffic to each other, or from cellular to WiFi networks, then their traffic load would be smoother, and their network more efficient. For example, what if AT&T could re-route traffic from their iPhone users to T-Mobile during an overload? Or T-Mobile could re- route their customers’ flows to a nearby WiFi hotspot?

- Exploit differences in technologies and frequency bands. Mobile technologies such as EVDO and HSPA provide wide area coverage with consistent bandwidth guaran- tees; while technologies like WiFi provide high band- width and low latency. Lower frequencies provides better coverage and penetration; while higher frequen- cies provides better spatial reuse. Being able to use the most appropriate technology for the application at hand would make best use of capacity available.

- Open up new sources of capacity. The ability to move between networks also open up new sources of capacity. For example, one can now use a network such as that of fon.com to supplement their main network, without having to deploy an extensive WiFi network. Such crowd-sourcing can be a powerful tool to cover dead spots and relieve congestion.

ThirdPipe has observed this since it started posting. We have advocated a technical solution set that included opening up the bands, requiring intelligent spread spectrum devices. We could open up that other 95% of the bandwidth not currently being utilized. Prices would drop, additional services can be had and disasters like the AT&T 4G debacle in places like New York City.

Its time.

Linky.

Between compliance with a constantly growing list of government policies, doing today’s jobs with yesterday’s infrastructure while trying to cut spending, IT manager s don’t have an easy job. Add to that supporting users and dealing with the damage they can do and the job becomes daunting. That gets even worse when you find a growing portion of your staff is working from the other side of the planet while you sleep. How bad is the malware problem?

The results of Bit9’s “2010 What’s Running on Your Users’ Desktops?” survey, released Monday, uncovered PCs with a significant amount of non-business software, including games, toolbars, and torrent software. Of greater concern, IT pros surveyed also discovered malware, such as ransom-ware, Trojans, and Chinese spyware.

Among the 1,282 IT professionals questioned for the survey, 68 percent of them said they have software restrictions in place, but 45 percent said they still found unauthorized software on more than half of their client PCs.

Specifically, 46 percent of the IT folks surveyed said that spyware, malware, and unlicensed software continue to pose a problem by getting past traditional security methods. They also found that unauthorized or malicious software caused up to 25 percent of user downtime and calls to the help desk, leading to a drop in productivity. But 39 percent of the respondents also admitted they don’t have a software usage policy that specifically prohibits employees from downloading their own software.

As a result, only 32 percent of the IT pros surveyed said they felt confident their businesses would be safe from damage caused by unauthorized or malicious software this year. (Cnet)

Sure there are a few easy fixes that can lighten the malware load, but even a mis keyed version of a URL like “Google” can lead to sites that install malware without any other user action. Even if we step up enforcement, perpetrators are hard to locate, and are most often geographically outside of the reach of authorities.

Switching users to Linux or Mac is a short term fix. When either platform gains enough users, the bad guys will certainly find a way to compromise them as well. Until someone comes up with a magic bullet, the trend will probably continue. Sadly, we will all shoulder the cost.

If you’ve been a Third Pipe reader for long, you’ve seen more than one of my rants about how the patent system has been perverted into an innovation stifling institution. Innovation isn’t limited to technology. About the time our education system started graduating more attorneys than could be productively employed, the under employed ones began innovating to crate work for themselves. By pushing the envelope on intellectual property laws, patent and copyright have devolved into frameworks for running legalized protection rackets. While there are legal battles, the only clear winners appear to be those who provide legal advice and representation to the warring parties. Things have gotten so bad, that any successful innovation or product is likely to face a patent or copyright challenge. That’s not the end of the world for a conglomerate or offshore enterprise, but it’s a killer for the little guy. The modern patent system  not only stifles the creative, it’s also a start up and small business killer. That’s not only a great way to slow the economy, doubly bad for those whi need to find a job or start a business to survive.

Want to learn more about our up is down wrong is right Patent System? Check out Patent Absurdity. It’s free to stream or download.

Patent Absurdity explores the case of software patents and the history of judicial activism that led to their rise, and the harm being done to software developers and the wider economy. The film is based on a series of interviews conducted during the Supreme Court’s review of in re Bilski — a case that could have profound implications for the patenting of software. The Court’s decision is due soon… Patent Absurdity

I’ve seen no statements from either Senator Rockefeller or Snowe that convinces me that they are any better informed than their former colleague who professed the Internet was “a  series of tubes”. Never the less these two elitists are determined to prepare us for Cyberwar. Unfortunately, their proposal declares war on corporate IT, while securing very little.

Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) have formulated a new cybersecurity bill that they described in Friday’s Wall Street Journal. (Use Google news to get to the full article.) The bill as proposed will be very disruptive to the operations of every business and will do essentially nothing to prepare the U.S. for cyberwar. (Forbes)

Dear Senators: We already have a dizzying array of regulation on the books. Some might even be good. Why not get someone who actually understands the subject matter (like myself or my partner) to review them and tell you which of them could be beneficial if strongly enforced. All we ask in return is that you get rid of the rest. Until that is done, lets not add more of that brown stuff to the pile.

WalMart and BestBuy entered the used game market via supplier ePlay. Well ePlay ceased operations this week. So GameStop ends up being the only player in the field.

So what’s the problem? First I don’t think the market in used games was as large as people thought. My observation is most people keep their games and typically trade only when they switch console platforms offering the games as an inducement to buy the whole package. The other is presence. GameStop has mind share among the gamers so if you are going to do a trade do it with the store you frequent. Last game trade does not have the velocity of transactions that say a DVD movie does. You might watch a DVD you bought 2-3 times. If significant enough you might keep it. But most likely you will trade it within a month. A game on the other hand may take a month just to get thru all the levels. And those with online linkages will encourage holding onto that game even longer. It could be a good 6 months before someone considers trading it.

Chalk it up to a business paradigm that thought it was X but was not like X at all.

Linky.

The Federal Trade Commission has modified its rules regarding endorsements. This will affect blogging to a degree –

Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor.

The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other “word-of-mouth” marketers. The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service. Likewise, if a company refers in an advertisement to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the company, the advertisement must disclose the connection between the advertiser and the research organization. And a paid endorsement – like any other advertisement – is deceptive if it makes false or misleading claims.

Who is most affect by this? Right off the top of my head, Amazon. To a certain level they will have to police their comments - rating system or take it down till modifications are made. Part of the FTC changes were, I am sure, the result of the rating scam on Amazon by certain product providers.

For us at ThirdPipe/Tightwad Technica? Not much affect at all. We don’t accept payola for endorsements/reviews. We do highlight products we think are either significant in their own right or an exceptional value for the product. Where the product being highlighted is also from one of our advertisers we have told you. We will continue that policy in the future. Another words, business as usual.

I would hazard that is true for most of the Blogosphere. Honesty to the readership is the safest rule of all.

The FTC announcement here.

There’s a small sign of hope for the IT business coming from Tata in India. The company plans to begin hiring again.

Tata Consulting Services (TCS) has said it plans to hire 25,000 people, marking the end of a slowdown for Indian outsourcers that began with the collapse of Lehman Brothers last September.

TCS vice-president Tanmoy Chakrabarty said that the outfit employs 145,000 people and wants to add 25,000 by the end of the year

According to the Times of India, analysts in the ancient land said that the TCS hiring plans come after a long dull period and the announcement will boost the Indian IT recruitment scene. (The Inquirer)

This could be a sign of eventual rebound for IT jobs here in the US.  After the last recession, jobs with offshore outsourcers led the recovery ahead of US hiring.  Unfortunately, since the last recession, the growth offshore has consistently outpaced hiring here.   I have high hopes that this is  a good sign. With the depth current recession and government policy that is largely hostile to business,  I fear US hiring will remain soft. Politicians who propose new taxes and regulations should consider the unintended results of their actions as well as the intended ones.

Well if you believe the Markwatch article that is what they intone. Kindle has a serious head start but their bumbling of late, especially with content leaves the door open for a different standard –

Amazon’s competitors, after fumbling about like the Washington Nationals for the past couple of years, are starting to get their act together. They’re moving toward a shared e-book format, called ePub, that’s different from the one on the Kindle.

And Allen Weiner, an expert in the e-book business at technology consultancy Gartner, Inc., says he knows that other manufacturers are poised to launch new reading devices with Kindle-style 3G wireless connections. Some may be announced as early as the next few weeks, he says.

It’s been a busy summer for Amazon’s competitors.

Last week, Sony announced two new e-book readers, including one for $199. A third, with a wireless connection, is thought to be coming.

The competing consortium has decided on ePub as the standard. Its a viable, published e-reader format which could prove Kindle’s undoing. As far as I know of there has been no other adopter of the Kindle eText format.

The real question is will Amazon be a stumbling block to the new entrants on their website? If Amazon says ‘No Mas’ then the players will have to come up with their own distribution channel. Were that to come to pass my suggestion to that group is they partner with Project Gutenberg. Get every single title PG has in ePub format and offer them all up for free.

Linky.

In my small circle of acquaintances, most are tech workers and most are struggling. I’ve heard of taking third world pay rates. With more western workers accepting less, it’s also impacting the outsourcing market. Data showing up today affirms that tech has taken a major hit, not just here but world wide.

Tom Silver, senior vice president of Dice.com, told us this morning that Dice.com is reporting a 44% year-over-year drop in job listings for the month of June. May’s year-over-year decline hovered around 45%. And Silver also points to a rise in the Department of Labor’s unemployment rate for the “Computer and Mathematics sector,” (the area best associated with the tech sector). June’s unemployment rate for the tech sector almost tripled year-over year, from 1.9% in June of 2008, to 5.4% in June of 2009. While Silver says that the tech job market is certainly better than during the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, the number of job opportunities have remained stagnant over the course of the past few months. (Tech Crunch)

According to the Times of India, the big outsourcing firms are marking down their bills by 35 to 40 per cent.

Apparently it is now possible to hire an IT specialist in India for about $16 per hour, which analysts say is the lowest rate for human labour since Kunta Kinte was imported into the Southern US to pick cotton.

Siddhartha Pai, MD, at the India offices of TPI told the Times that such rates will continue at least until the first quarter next year. (The Inquirer)

This could mean we’re in for an even bumpier road ahead. It also means what the politicians have been doing isn’t working. Maybe they should stop meddling for a while.