Maktal Schmaktal

While pokin’ around at Google Labs, I came across Google SMS

Users who send text messages to 46645 (GOOGL) can “search” the Google network requesting everything from stock quotes and weather to driving directions and dictionary definitions.

For instance, to get a 4-day weather forecast for NYC send the following text to 46645:
weather 10019

this will work too:
weather ny, ny

This is much faster and easier than firing up the crappy WAP browsers in most cell phones. And other than the cost of the text message (from your provider), it’s free!

Reuters is reporting that Nokia has released several new products. Amongst them is a wireless Linux web-browser device… without a phone. They plan on adding VoIP capabilites. Apparently they have the vision. VoIP is everywhere, Nokia recognizes that and they are not afraid to venture from the comforts of their cell phone mainstay. According to the article they plan on marketing the device initially through broadband providers.

The device is aimed at consumers looking for an affordable extra Internet screen in the house that they can also carry with them and use at wireless hotspots outside the home or connect to a cell phone through a Bluetooth wireless link.

Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk

Steve Jobs announced that the next version of iTunes will have support for Podcasts. Publishers will be able to register with the iTunes Music Store. Users will be able to subscribe to different feeds and be able to bring their own in!

With all those iPods out there, Podcasts are going to be an increasingly more important part of the media mix. (If they aren’t already.) Apple is making downloading easier for people who are already listening podcasts, and introducing (to the majority) of their users a whole new type of media.

via Engadget

Earlier this year I posted about the FCCs broadcast flag for digital television programming. In a nutshell, the FCC mandated that a broadcast flag accompany every digital television broadcast. The flag would have prevented certain programs from being recorded.

Apparently the Appeals court said

“We can find nothing in the statute, its legislative history, the applicable case law, or agency practice indicating that Congress meant to provide the sweeping authority the FCC now claims over receiver apparatus,”

BBC reports on it here.

James Mikusi writes about using MRTG with SpamAssassin in this Month’s Sys Admin Magazine. He uses MRTG to graph output from SpamAssassin. Jim provides excellent technical detail on getting these open-source solutions working together. He writes

I hope these graphs can be used to show management and politicians how badly some of us are plagued by spam and thereby losing productivity. Managers and politicians may be more receptive to statistical complaints, graphs, and pie charts than other forms of information.

Read the entire article.