Blackest Berry in the basket ...

The New Year begins with us staring down the abyss over the tip of the privacy iceberg. Once RIM allows GOI an all-access-pass, it shall crusade through all other operators across 3G, 2G, WiMAX, broadband, and all conceivable communications technologies in the name of terrorism. Unbridled power creates despotic ramifications that would be very hard to handle by the end consumer. Our Constitutional existence shall be put aside for the Pentagon way of life.







References:

BlackBerry denies India email access deal as struggle continues

India This Evening: BlackBerry Says India Can't Access Encrypted Data

Re-Create a New Internet ...

Create an extreme so that the obvious becomes relevant and important. The Google-Verizon deal did just that for net neutrality. Polarization was the only way oblivious Internet users could be awoken from their dream that all is now no more well. Governments in the name of net neutrality want complete control of what we do, and so do private corporations, with or without their cartels.

The NEED to create a parallel Internet, like most parallel economies, never had a more compelling argument like the Google-Verizon debate has sparked off!!!



References:

Net Neutrality: What's the Price? - PCWorld

Google-Verizon Net Neutrality Critics Pile On

Jail House Break!!!

The DMCA does not crack down as expected, but Apple has surely been bitten by the Copyright Board ruling on Cellphones, both for adding unapproved software installation as well as untethering of phones to run with all operators. Let the free market rule, without any anti-competitive measures forcing the consumer, who has ownership rights over his phone, to give-up his usufructory rights. Sadly of course, violation of contractual terms, thereby voiding of warranty, has not been held as a conscionable violation, merely the DMCA Copyright violation has been waived, so to speak!!!





References:

DMCA ruling supports smartphone jailbreaking, unlocking

Copyright Office OKs iPhone 'Jailbreaking'‎

Jailbreaking the iPhone: Not a Federal Offense‎

iPhone Jailbreaking: Legal, but Dangerous

More legal reasons to circumvent electronic locks | Technology | Los Angeles Times

Apple: Jailbreaking an iPhone can (still) violate your warranty

War of the Roses: Battle Lines Drawn

Now it seems clear, a waste of effort on part of MS & Apple, howsoever apart their goals might be, that the new age is not theirs for the keeping, since Google pretty much owns the commanding share of web content search, management, and formatting. Given Google's commitment to net-neutrality, MS & Apple sure would have a fair chance, but that would also be on the Google turf. Adobe's prudence in being on Google's turf on strategic terms would sure pay-off in future, despite being as closed as Apple and MS themselves are!!! Its now just about taking sides: Google or Anti-Google ... such a determinate factor this ... eh!!!





References:

Is Google's WebM a game-changer or a big mess?

Google video effort to be dubbed WebM Project?

Google tries freeing Web video with WebM

Details on Google's Chrome Store and WebM plans

War of the Roses ... Gets Federal Peek ... its getting hotter!!!

Now the FTC, only a few days after my earlier post has decided to take cognizance of the matter. Lets hope that the Apple of Sin is brought down!!!




References:

Report: Feds May Launch Inquiry Into Apple's Flash Stance

Regulators mull antitrust look at Apple: source

Unix-like versus Unix-like ... the War of the Roses!!!

Apple is about to be left in the ice cold winter of the snow leopard with its new tactics of taking on Adobe. Google and Canonical are already developing flash based tools and developer kits and ignoring Apple or any new video format it may want to float on a large scale (SVG for instance). Adobe seeks to launch flash in the HTML5 era and Apple is competing hard to beat it. Apple's closed door policy is not going to work given the Unix revolution having become more competitive with Google and Canonical gunning for the original Unix cousin called Macintosh OS.

Besides, I wonder why are the FTC and the EU Commission not taking cognizance of Apple's behavior!!!



References:

Apple and Adobe's war of words heats up‎

Ubuntu Wants Adobe, Even if Apple Doesn't - PCWorld

Google's Chrome now silently auto-updates Flash Player

Neutral Ground disturbed ...

Net Neutrality is something that has never been enacted upon and is the classic example of Social Practice as a law unto itself. However, Airtel has sadly tilted the balance for the first time in a country where, as it is, this principle is not only unheard of, but also uncared for!!!



References:

Airtel Ad on Youtube Taints Google's Net Neutrality Efforts

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YouTube Caught in Net Neutrality Flap in India

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Apple of Deceit ...

The Devil works its ways through the apple once again!!! Trade related restrictions upon partners is not only abuse of dominant position but also a road to take over the universe like Darth Vader! But little do we all realize that Apple has already made us slaves by selling us bare bones and thereafter requiring us to run those bones with purchased muscles, skin and the works at its app store.

Apple also restricts access to open source developers to develop freely executable applications for its operating systems/embedded software.

I hope to see the Competition Commission of India taking a peek and wrestling with this sumo Apple for exacting fairness.


References:

EFF Breaks Down Apple's App Store License

EFF posts Apple's Iphone SDK licence terms

Enemy's Enemy, My Friend!!!

So it is hereby revealed that the scattered Jedi unite to fight the good fight, a common cause that is sacrosanct by itself, the freedom of software, its applications and related avenues. So does this mean cheaper final products? If its Dell and Acer probably yes, if its Toshiba or Lenovo or even Sony its probably a big no. (HP-Compaq fits just right nowhere!!!)

Ubuntu has already dented the MS bandwagon, probably the Chrome OS would do the same. Not to forget the Android OS on Acer Aspire One D250.



References:

Ubuntu's Canonical and Google partner to create Chrome

Acer Aspire One D250 with Android

Medical Profession NOT Medical Business ...

Synonyms? ... nope ... then what's the confusion about?!!

Our nation fails to understand the difference between Medical Profession and Medical Business and the emergence of the latter concept owing to Patent Protection and weak Drug Price Control Order, 1995.

It is sad to see that the world's largest democracy can not become "by the people and for the people"!!!



References:

Obama prods House to pass health care bill

House poised to pass historic health-care reform bill

AARP Takes a Stand, Endorses Health Care Bill

US House Nears Vote on Health Care Reform Measure

Ordinary world ...

Our Independence is valuable to us as is our survival. M.K. Gandhi showed that India needed to survive the British and fight fiercely for the survival of the nation as one. We should not now leave the path of struggle when we are free to do what we can; not to turn away from our duties as a nation, especially those that concern our survival.

When will we as a nation stand up to the real issues concerning us? One look at the innumerable news channels on cable TV is conclusive of the fact that Shah Rukh Khan is more important to us than expensive and unaffordable insurance premiums, health care, drought, vanishing ground water, and what not!!! But the government aims only at hiking tax of individuals and not corporates. Where would we go if we cannot afford to live? We all need alternate sources of fuel/energy, health care, and above all employment rights that are being denied to us by planned government efforts.

I fail to understand why in such a poor country like India the Prime Minister is not nailing the real issues, when a richer country like the USA; their President can put up a fierce fight against corporates for each individual's basic necessities.

We are an ordinary people with ordinary needs. We need to survive before we can aim for luxury. Affordability of necessities should be addressed first ...







References:

Obama invokes late grandmother in health crusade

Obama attacks insurance premiums

NASA says Groundwater vanishing in North India

Draft code may make individuals pay more tax

Drought woes claim lives of 20 farmers in Andhra

Drying out

Shah Rukh may have been victim of random selection parameter

If a spade can dig, so can a shovel, if the soil is loose and unsettled ...

The Agricultural Produce Market Committees are marketing boards established by the state governments of India to facilitate farmers to sell their produce to the APMC and get a reasonable price for it. However, due to middlemen creeping in, the system has become so profiteering that the ultimate price to the end consumers is more than 100% of the price of procurement from the farmers!!! It is also illegal to circumvent an APMC under state law. But due to political reasons, the Shiv Sena has shown that circumventing the system can enable them to sell agro-produce to the end consumer at 1/2 the retail market rates, without affecting the agro-procurement prices or the nominal profit margins.

This development poses a very interesting intersection of law, politics, consumer interest, constitutional duties of governments and above all the duty to serve by upholding justice (that may or may not include upholding the law!!!).

As it has been rightly said, Law is merely a tool, if its breaking serves the purpose, so be it.




References:

Eyeing vote gain, Shiv Sena sells veggies at no-profit-no-loss rates

Sena members stage protest against price rise

Blunder of the New & Rising World!!!

This is not the first and only civil engineering blunder that is apparent, yet this seems to be the only media attracting blunder nevertheless. In every street of Bombay and new & older parts of Delhi we see bottlenecks because of broader roads emptying out into narrower roads. the Delhi-Noida Expressway, NH8 joining Delhi & Gurgaon, the Western Expressway near Mahim, the Eastern Expressway near Dadar, Andheri-Kurla Road, on either side, Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road near IIT-Bombay, and the list is endless!!! There is no need for a civil engineering degree to realize the asymmetries apparent even to a common passerby?!



Reference:

Bandra Worli Sea Link: Hi-tech incompetence?

Divesting wrong assets!!!

An age old question again needs to be re-looked at. Why should the government only divest its stake in profitable government ventures and leave out Air India type of loss making establishments.



References:

Air India seeks employees' help in 'fight for survival'

Air India asks senior staff to forego July pay to cut costs

CIL disinvestment likely by end of 2009-10: Coal Minister

Govt looking at proposal to divest 10% in BHEL

Net Neutrality: A Clear & Present Danger ...

Absolute non-discrimination, is the demand by TRAI towards broadband users. There are some ISPs favoring their corporate clients to the detriment of end consumers. I surely have felt the discrimination when network speed ratios drop from 1:1 to 1:3 during peak hours.

As of now, TRAI has pronounced guidelines only on speed related net neutrality. However ,the day is not far when it would also have to dictate content neutrality guidelines as well.



References:

TRAI trying to empower broadband users in the country

Trai moves to ensure broadband speed

TRAI issues guidelines on broadband service