Israel Raps Europe Over U.N. Resolution (AP)
Grok Headline matches for Israel Raps Europe Over U.N. Resolution (AP)
US raps Israel over settler plan
US raps Israel over settler plan
08/02/2004 08:48 PMWashington criticises Israel's plans to build 600 new homes in the
largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank.
Israel Raps U.S. on Planned Talks with
Geneva Authors
Israel Raps U.S. on Planned Talks with
Geneva Authors
12/03/2003 04:10 AMReuters via Wired News Dec 3 2003 3:43AM ET
U.S., Europe Agree on Iran Resolution
(AP)
U.S., Europe Agree on Iran Resolution
(AP)
09/17/2004 08:14 PMAP - The United States and most other nations at a meeting of the U.N.
atomic watchdog agency agreed Friday on a resolution meant to curb
Iran's access to technology that could be used for nuclear weapons,
and indirectly set a deadline for Tehran to meet their demands.
How to keep your new years resolution -
Making a New Year's Resolution
How to keep your new years resolution -
Making a New Year's Resolution
01/01/2004 01:26 PMwww.how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolution.com .. New Year's
Resolutions .. couple
how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolution.com
track
this site | 3 links
EC raps MS over interoperability - again
EC raps MS over interoperability - again
03/19/2005 02:46 AMNot keeping its promises
Novell raps SCO claims
Novell raps SCO claims
02/11/2004 04:21 PMThe software maker offers new evidence regarding the SCO Group's Unix
rights and demands that the company drop its suit against IBM.
WTO raps EU over sugar subsidies
WTO raps EU over sugar subsidies
08/04/2004 08:49 PMEU subsidies given to sugar producers violate trade rules, a draft
World Trade Organisation ruling says.
Stowe raps it out - "it's about the
Context of SNS!"
Stowe raps it out - "it's about the
Context of SNS!"
06/22/2005 02:41 AM
Stowe Boyd has an excellent rap on "Social Networks: Boring, Broken
or off-track?".
He points out that many people feel that keeping their profiles up
to date is tedious and boring at best and that big players like 6A
should start building SNS features into their blog tools.
I hope most people know how MySpace got there:
- by focusing on music
- by throwing Raves and parties
- by providing lots of coolio, compelling activities for mating
kids to keep themselves busy.
But be clear - MySpace is a dating site. Everything that Jonathan
Abrams wanted Friendster to be - MySpace is. But that's a fairly
limited context - for the rest of us.
Social Networking systems need to apply themselves to niche
targeted audiences. That's where they'll monetize.
Matt Haughey raps it out....
Matt Haughey raps it out....
07/23/2004 04:34 AMTiVo: you can only innovate if the NFL and MPAA say so
Today's
Washington Post carries a
jaw-dropping article about TiVo's latest fight [via waxy]. Tivo
ToGo was announced at CES in January of this year, with a planned
Fall release, but if the Movie Industry and the NFL get their way, it
will never see the light of day.
What is most shocking about the objections is that TiVo ToGo is an
already crippled version of something TiVo hackers and users of
software PVRs like Windows Media Center and Snapstream have been doing
for years now. See that huge ugly plastic dongle pictured in the upper
right? That's your user "key" that makes sure only
your TiVo programs can play on your
PC or laptop. I haven't seen or tested this functionality out, but I'm
sure those programs are encrypted to the point that they are
unplayable on any device that doesn't also have the hardware key
plugged in. I wouldn't be surprised if the video format is a
proprietary one as well. TiVo is also talking about adding a
show swapping feature, which is great news, but you will have
a limit of ten other devices that you can share with (ReplayTV used to
let you swap with an unlimited amount of other users, which got them
sued until they went bankrupt and removed it).
Simply put, compared to how Microsoft's offerings work, and a slew
of small software packages for the PC and Mac that record TV, the TiVo
ToGo feature is a crippled lockbox. You won't be sharing shows on
Kazaa anytime soon with TiVo ToGo features.
The NFL and MPAA are attacking both the show extraction feature,
claiming it will allow programs to propigate online, and the show
sharing features, claiming TiVo owners will share them with more than
their friends. Their nightmare scenario is that maybe, possibly,
someday someone you don't know might ask for a copy of an obscure
program you happened to have recorded and saved. Oh, the horror of it
all!
For no other reason than it points out how insane this is, here are
some priceless quotes:
TiVo was one of 13 companies that asked the FCC for
approval, arguing that its copy-protection system met the
requirements. The Motion Picture Association of America, Hollywood's
lobbying arm, and the NFL then filed objections to TiVo's
plan.
First off, how much does is suck that TiVo can't just think of new
features and build them, but they have to ask for permission from the
FCC? Can't a company innovate without asking everyone if it is ok
first? Also, why is the MPAA and NFL going after TiVo when Microsoft's
Media Center Edition allows you to not only share your programs with
other PCs and laptops, but it also spawned an entire market for portabl
e TV devices like this one? Where were the movie industry goons
when those products were announced and released?
This other quote puts a light on how screwed up the NFL is:
The NFL, meanwhile, is concerned that a user could send a
copy of a game to someone in another time zone, where the game is
blacked out.
Only the NFL would go so far out of their way to make sure their
most ardent fans can't see the football games they want to see.
I sincerely hope TiVo weathers this legal storm, the products are
already loaded with enough protection to keep the movie industry's
worst fears from taking place, though I suspect if the show sharing
features get into TiVo, the maximum number of shareable devices will
most likely be something like 3 other boxes instead of 10.
[PVRBlog
]
Ruling raps broadband definition
Ruling raps broadband definition
08/13/2004 12:26 PMThe UK's ad watchdog rules over which net connections can be described
as full speed broadband.
9/11 panel raps response to hijackings
9/11 panel raps response to hijackings
06/17/2004 10:00 AMUN raps Iran over nuclear stance
UN raps Iran over nuclear stance
06/18/2004 06:17 AMThe UN nuclear watchdog says Iran has failed to co-operate fully with
an inquiry into its nuclear activities.
France raps 'US Aids blackmail'
France raps 'US Aids blackmail'
07/13/2004 03:25 PMIn a veiled attack, President Chirac takes issue with bilateral trade
deals that deprive poor states of drug production rights.
Phil Torrone raps out NetFlix 2.0
Phil Torrone raps out NetFlix 2.0
07/19/2004 01:22 PMThis is brilliant.... I sure hope Chris Darner is listening. This
is exactly what I was telling Chris the other day (well my version of
it - but Phil hits it right on the head!)
And thanks to Engadget for providing this to us!
Netflix, Open up or die…
Posted Jul 19, 2004, 4:43 AM ET by Phillip
Torrone
Related entries: Features
For the gadget lover, the DVD is often the end result of what we do
with these super-light laptops, LCD TV screens,
brushed metal- translucent exteriors and one of the main reasons
companies continually push the capabilities of devices, to watch
movies. Since 1999 I have been a member of Netflix in some way, and I
am worried, I am worried Netflix isn’t going to make it.
Now, this isn’t an article about Netflix going out of
business, this is about Netflix “making it” and by that I
mean, making a platform and community, something Blockbuster and
Walmart can’t do.
Netflix backgrounder…
Netlfix started in 1999, and according to their fact
sheet page, they reached 2 million subscribers faster than AOL.
For $21.99 a month, you can rent as many DVDs as you want via the
website, keeping 3 out at a time. The benefits are:
- no late fees, no due dates and you have access to around 20,000
titles.
- The DVDs are sent out via Postal Mail, usually
get to you in a day or so and when your done, you put it in the same
envelope it was sent in, bang- you’re done.
Two giants enter
Well, after 5 years of Netflix humming along, Blockbuster and
Walmart jumped in to the online movie rental biz.
Wal-mart, the world’s largest
retailer, offers 3 DVDs out for $18.76. They don’t have as big
of a selection of DVD as Netflix, and of course, it’s Wal-mart,
the same Wal-mart that has banned
selling certain CDs being sold in their stores and
“offensive” magazine like Rollingstone and Cosmopolitan.
For now, Wal-mart won’t make a big deal out of having some
“questionable “movies, after all- they need to build a
subscriber base, but once they have that, expect to see them not carry
certain DVD titles that they deem offensive. In fact Wal-Mart who has
over 10% of the domestic CD sales even gets publishers to make a
special “sanitized” version for their megastores, a
“Wal-mart cut” of a movie
might be coming soon.
Next up is Blockbuster, they just
released their “public beta” site earlier this month.
Blockbuster has about 48 million members for their over 8,500 physical
stores, they rent DVDs, videos and game titles. Blockbuster’s
pricing is $19.99 for 3 titles, with a selection of 25,000 (according
to their website) and as a bonus 2 free in-store rentals per month.
Anyone can sign up now
during this public
beta.
The 2 in-store rental thing is a big deal, there are lots of time
when you don’t front load your Netflix playlist and just want to
rent something that just a came out. Also, Blockbuster has video game
rentals in-store, it’s only a matter of time until they use
their online video rental site to rent out video game titles. There is
a service now called gamefly
which does that now, Blockbuster might be hanging back to see how they
do.
Blockbuster has also had some controversy with censoring what
movies can be rented, there’s even a “Boycott Blockbuster”
movement that come and goes every so often.
And don’t forget, Blockbuster is owned by Viacom, who owns
and operates about 1,400 movie screens, Paramount Pictures, Paramount
theme parks, many broadcast television and radio stations (Infinity
Broadcasting) , outdoor billboards, cable channels, two broadcast
networks, and Simon & Schuster books.
So there’s the overview of the other guys, Wal-Mart as usual
has the lowest price, but not the best selection and Blockbuster
having a slightly lower price with the added bonus of 2 rentals from
their stores per month. They all mail the DVDs out and for the most
part, the services seem pretty similar.
That’s the problem, sameness.
Netflix present
Last week Netflix got
slammed in the market, share dropped almost
$9 (or 28%) to $23.02 on NASDAQ.
Analysts sited fulfillment expenses as well as an incredibly high
cost per new customer ($35.12). That means it costs over $35 bucks to
get a new customer on average, and that’s up from $30 from the
second quarter of 2003. Add to that, they’re reporting this is
going to go up even more ($37 to $39) as they increase their marketing
spend, on TV, TV? They also mentioned spending more on online ads,
which we think is a good idea, but it’s all about being surgical
and going where the most likely new customers are going.
I am a Netflix customer and I know that it’s the best
service with the best selection out there, but that doesn’t mean
anything, a lot of people are going to go after price (Wal-Mart) and a
lot of people are going to hammered over the head with the reach and
marketing Blockbuster has (plus the in-store rental deal). When
everyone does the same thing, price tends to win, so Wal-Mart might
make some gains this year.
But isn’t what Netflix did pretty novel? Almost patent
worthy? Netflix does in fact have a patent, in fact there were tons of
stories
about “the patent” but none of them actually said
what the patent was.
So I looked it up, there might be others, but the one I found was
the patent on the envelope used. That’s right, that
self-addressed envelope that Netflix uses is patented, I am pretty
sure Blockbuster, Wal-Mart and even Gamefly uses the same thing, so
maybe Netflix will cash in on that later, but that’s not hard to
get around.
Here
<
br />
it is.
Netflix future
So as a customer, a marketer and a developer…I ‘m
going to outline what I think Netflix needs to do. Yah, Blockbuster
and Wal-mart could do this too, but they’re too big, but hey- If
they pull this off, that’s cool too.
Open up. Google did it, Amazon did, Apple did it, Netflix—
expose your API so people out there can use www.netflix.com the
way they want to, in new ways, in ways you haven’t imagined.
What do I mean by that?
RSS Feeds. See that little XML or RSS button
on every site out there? That’s RSS feed, the quickest way to
deliver updated information to folks. No one wants to log in to the
Netflix site all the time, let folks subscribe to RSS feeds that have
new releases, reviews and more. Netflix has a newsletter, sure, but
that stopped getting to me about 2 years ago when I started using spam
filters.
My DVD “playlist”. If you go to
TextAmerica, or use BlogRolling, millions of people add can add a link
to their site(s) which is updated from someplace else. For Netflix, it
would work like this. A blog site, like this one, or a personal one
could easily add their DVD list, what they’re watching, what
they’ve watched, and what they’re going to watch. Technoraiti tracks about 3
million blogs, these people all index really high in all the things
your focus groups are likely telling you. Give them the tools they
need to distribute your message for free.
There’s a reason Apple make the playlist feature, folks
upload their playlists, send to friends, everyone has a music mix
their proud of, it’s really important that Netflix let’s
folks expose their movie list.
Let people add items to my playlist, have “always send me
new popular releases” each month, things like that really
matter.
Integration with Moviefone and Fandango would also be possible. If
you’re like me, when you buy a ticket to see a movie,
you’re likely going to one day rent that movie - with an API
that others can use, that would all be possible when
you buy your movie tickets online.
Social Networks. If the Netflix API was
exposed when Friendster, Orkut and all the other social networking
sites were released, it would have been easy for millions of people to
add their movie list (past, present and future to their profile).
Heck, in ALL of these social networking sites they have
“Favorite movies”. Heck, I might even go visit a pal if I
knew they had a specific movie at their how, now that’s some
real peer-to-peer networking in action.
AOL Netflix Buddy. People IM more than they
email now, there are lots of reasons for that, from Spam to more
computers being on all the time. So why wouldn’t Netflix have
buddy anyone can add to their buddy list where they can query the
Netflix database and also rent from there. Then they could even send
it along to a buddy on their list. Again, this is part of the
“Open up” theme, Netflix needs to provide ways
for folks to use its service in ways like this.
Here’s an example: Add “RecipeBuddie” to your
AOL/iChatAV list and tell it you have chicken, it’ll give you a
bunch of recipes and links to products to buy as well.
One year, $199. One month $19.99. The
economics of this are tough, but Netflix has gotta stay below the $20
mark per month and they’ve gotta have a deal per year.
It’ll lower
churn and keep the price sensitive folks from getting sticker shock.
Or hey, at least give this deal to people who have
been a member for at least a year.
No TV ads. That’s right, don’t spend money on TV in
the traditional sense. 30 second ads aren’t going to reach
the
best prospects, really. Sponsor a show and make it “commercial
free” so it’s more like a DVD.
If it cost Netflix $35 to add 583,000 trial
users (as reported) that means
they spent $20,405,000 in marketing (at least). That’s some good
media buys.
With the summer movie season here, it’s cheap and easy to
get some movie slides in specific markets around the USA before the
movie comes on. And if Netflix needs to do TV in some way, do a 30
second commercial before a movie, they have those now. It’s a
great surgical way to educate folks on what Netflix is while their in
the movie mood.
Community. Netflix needs to get their best customers on an
advisory board, maybe even pick some well known folks out in the web
world and have them out. What Netflix can’t do is piss off their
biggest fans,
like this guy.
Wal-Mart and Blockbuster will totally own the whole “ignore
the customer” thing with their girth, but Netflix, you can
be different, you can be something that folks can rally around.
Sponsoring blog sites and sites that talk about movies
wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Netflix as a platform. Last up, the big
one.
Anyone can call up Amazon and make a deal to re-brand their platform
(like Target has) same goes for google, Amazon
made a deal with them to use google’s search for A9,
Amazon’s search engine. If Netflix made the move to make
their
system a plaform, anyone could come along and rent any type of DVD
media. Video games, specific movies, instructional
courses, you name it- it’s possible. And in the end, Netflix
makes money while still sticking to their core
business.
More?
Sure, there’s lots more which would really get Netfix away
from the pointless street brawl they’re in with the 2 big
guys—from leading the charge in downloadable movies, to partner
deals with iTunes + Netflix integration, to working out
a system of movie viewing on the new Portable Video Players— all
these things will happen in time, maybe with Netflix,
hopefully not Wal-Mart, but probably Blockbuster.
No matter what, Netflix can open up and should—what’s
the point of all this unless more people can share their favorite
movies with each other, in better ways, using all of what technology
has to offer. Movies are just as much a part of our lives as childhood
memories and shape our culture, even defining it at times, it would be
good to see the company that has fueled my movie addiction for the
last 5 years continue to do so in amazing ways for more
people.
Phillip Torrone can be reached at his personal website www.flashenabled.com
[Engadget]
Russia raps UK over unruly exiles
Russia raps UK over unruly exiles
09/16/2004 07:16 PMMoscow summons a senior UK diplomat to complain about the activities
of London-based Russian exiles.
Amnesty raps French police abuses
Amnesty raps French police abuses
04/06/2005 12:12 PMAmnesty International accuses France of ignoring police brutality
against Arabs and Africans.
Report raps Wi-Fi providers for
'location inflation'
Report raps Wi-Fi providers for
'location inflation'
06/09/2004 07:42 AMMultiple location - multiple location-counting schemes
Church group raps Bush on Clean Air Act
Church group raps Bush on Clean Air Act
04/22/2004 07:52 AMCongress Raps Baseball Steroids Policy
(AP)
Congress Raps Baseball Steroids Policy
(AP)
03/17/2005 03:30 AMAP - When Major League Baseball announced a new drug-testing policy
two months ago, the supposed get-tough approach was hailed on Capitol
Hill. But on the eve of testimony before a House committee from some
of the sport's biggest stars, members of Congress criticized the plan
after getting a chance to read the fine print.
Report raps Homeland Security for
muddled IT
Report raps Homeland Security for
muddled IT
05/24/2004 08:18 PMUK Probe Raps Blair's Pre-Iraq War
Intelligence
UK Probe Raps Blair's Pre-Iraq War
Intelligence
07/14/2004 11:50 PMReuters via Wired News Jul 15 2004 4:19AM GMT
Church Group Raps Bush on Clean Air Act
(AP)
Church Group Raps Bush on Clean Air Act
(AP)
04/22/2004 04:00 AMAP - A national group of Christian leaders is sending a scathing
letter to President Bush to coincide with Earth Day, accusing his
administration of chipping away at the Clean Air Act.
Kerry Raps Bush on Initial 9/11 Inaction
(AP)
Kerry Raps Bush on Initial 9/11 Inaction
(AP)
08/05/2004 08:59 PMAP - John Kerry said Thursday he would have jumped into action more
quickly than President Bush did on Sept. 11, 2001, raising the stakes
in the political fight over terrorism as Bush warned that the United
States can't afford to "grow timid and weary and afraid" in Iraq or
elsewhere.
Bush Raps Kerry on Iraq Troop Reduction
(AP)
Bush Raps Kerry on Iraq Troop Reduction
(AP)
08/11/2004 08:47 PMAP - President Bush on Wednesday pushed back against John Kerry's
criticism of his handling of Iraq, saying, "I know what I'm doing when
it comes to winning this war." Bush used a re-election rally to
sharply reject Democratic challenger John Kerry's proposal to begin to
withdraw troops from Iraq within six months of taking office.
UK Probe Raps Blair's Pre-Iraq War
Intelligence (Reuters)
UK Probe Raps Blair's Pre-Iraq War
Intelligence (Reuters)
07/14/2004 10:10 PMReuters - Prime Minister Tony Blair was cleared
Wednesday of tricking Britain into invading Iraq but was
criticized in a report for relying on deeply flawed pre-war
intelligence.
Bush Raps Kerry Iraq Stance, Pullout
Plan (AP)
Bush Raps Kerry Iraq Stance, Pullout
Plan (AP)
08/10/2004 10:58 PMAP - President Bush mocked rival John Kerry's stand on the Iraq war
Tuesday and rejected the Democrat's timetable for withdrawing U.S.
troops as the Republican campaigned with Kerry pal and Vietnam War
hero Sen. John McCain.
English beat: Consumer group raps iTunes
pricing
English beat: Consumer group raps iTunes
pricing
09/15/2004 09:05 PMLondon watchdog drops a dime on Apple, saying Brits pay more per track
than the French and Germans.
Annan Raps U.S. on Global Court; Council
Talks Begin (Reuters)
Annan Raps U.S. on Global Court; Council
Talks Begin (Reuters)
06/18/2004 03:21 AMReuters - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan rebuked the United States for trying to get another
exemption from prosecution by the new International Criminal
Court and urged the Security Council to oppose the measure.
Resolution
Resolution
12/22/2002 11:37 AMThe problem that I mentioned in my last entry with pmCode breaking the
new commenting system at Stonefishspine has been fixed. This brings
me one step closer to releasing the code to the pMachine public.
Check out Stonefishspine and click where it says "Comments" under each
entry, to see what the system does. You can feel free to e-mail me
any questions or suggestions you may have about the system.
Mark Pilgrim of DiveIntoMark.org has written an article about RSS
published on XML.com. It is a good read for newcomers and veterans
and it seems like he will be doing monthly articles for them, I look
forward to reading them.
This is a very addictive game. Anyone who has worked retail
(especially during the holidays) ill appreciate the theme of this
game. I made the high scorer list, but I want to know how on earth to
get 8000 points like the leader did. Amazing.
Radio resolution
Radio resolution
09/27/2004 03:10 AMUSA Today Sep 27 2004 6:14AM GMT
FAQ | Resolution confusion
FAQ | Resolution confusion
06/17/2004 03:19 AMPhiladelphia Inquirer Jun 17 2004 7:15AM GMT
MOM FAQ: Name Resolution Requirements
MOM FAQ: Name Resolution Requirements
12/29/2004 02:31 PMNew Sudan resolution 'unbalanced'
New Sudan resolution 'unbalanced'
09/15/2004 01:53 PMSudan's government rejects a weaker US draft resolution, as a Darfur
rebel group says talks have broken down.
UN set for Sudan resolution vote
UN set for Sudan resolution vote
07/30/2004 01:50 AMThe UN Security Council is due to vote later on Friday on a resolution
calling on Sudan to tackle Darfur militias.
My 2005 New Year's Resolution
My 2005 New Year's Resolution
01/01/2005 06:33 PMGet your resolution here
resolution.geek-foo.net
track this
site | 2 links
U.S. unveils new U.N. resolution on Iraq
U.S. unveils new U.N. resolution on Iraq
05/25/2004 07:33 PMU.S. Unveils New U.N. Resolution on Iraq
(AP)
U.S. Unveils New U.N. Resolution on Iraq
(AP)
05/24/2004 08:15 PMAP - The United States on Monday unveiled its long-awaited
post-occupation plans for a sovereign interim government in Iraq and
got a generally positive response. But it faced questions about how
much say Iraqis will have over U.S.-led forces that will keep the
peace.
Display Resolution Manager v2.0
Display Resolution Manager v2.0
05/17/2004 03:15 PMDisplay Resolution Manager is a utility that helps the users sharing a
one computer to have a display resolution they prefer. It will
automatically switch display to the preferable resolution when the
user starts working. System administrator will be able to set the
default display resolution for all users and the resolution of the
system when nobody logged on. This program gives you an opportunity to
work with your favorite display resolution! [Shareware $14.95 30
Days 485 KB]
MOM FAQ: Client Resolution Requirements
MOM FAQ: Client Resolution Requirements
05/12/2004 12:35 PMGrok Description matches for Israel Raps Europe Over U.N. Resolution (AP)
GrokA matches for Israel Raps Europe Over U.N. Resolution (AP)
Israel Raps Europe Over U.N. Resolution (AP)
