Internet TV Almost Ready for Prime Time

A few years from now, we'll look back at today's hardware for watching Internet video on TV, and we'll laugh. That's not to say that the current technology isn't sophisticated it is. The problem is that in order to view Web based content in our living rooms (as opposed to on a PC monitor), we have to jump through far too many hoops. And that's why the Web over TV movement is still more of a minor uprising than a full scale revolution.


The best Internet video to TV options such as Apple TV, Roku, and Vudu are separate, dedicated boxes. For true mass market adoption to occur, providers must offer home appliance style functionality: plug in, turn on, and tune in.

RIAA Suspends File-Sharing Lawsuits

The music industry has finally wised up and changed tactics in its quixotic legal campaign against peer-to-peer file sharing. Rather than continue to sue consumers who illegally download music, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) will get Internet service providers to send warning letters. If you ignore the letters, you may find your bandwidth reduced or your service eliminated altogether.

Between 2003 and 2008, the RIAA sued 35,000 consumers, although most of these cases didn’t make it into court. Instead, the would-be plaintiff usually demanded a sum of money $5,000 or so and dropped the suit. In cases that did enter a courtroom, the copyright law permitted the RIAA to demand statutory damages of up to $100,000 per song. The most flagrant downloaders we’re talking 5,000 tracks a month may still be sued, but the RIAA will no longer pursue small fry in court.

Mobile Device Security Measures

Everyone is mobilizing. Our life, not just business but also personal, have become entwined with out cell phones (or is it vice versa?).

Cell phone isn't even the right term anymore for many people, who use their BlackBerrys, iPhones, and other smartphones almost as much as they use their computers. This make our mobile devices and the data they contain just as important as our laptops and desktops. Add a direct Internet connection (which very few people secure), and the likelihood of physical loss or theft, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

You may have some help from your security suite; some of these now include mobile features, although at this point we're not sure they're necessary.

However, there are a number of things you can do yourself to avoid a data-theft disater.

Home Networking: A Refresher Course

If you're reading this story, chances are very good that you already have a home network. As all we all know, the times they are a-changin' constantly in the tech world, and with so many new product and services being offered, some of you may want to rebuild your home network to accommodate all that you want to do with it.

You may also have a home network but have always wondered about it's mechanics, like what goes on in the brain of that little router of yours, or how the rourter's wireless radio actually works.

Beyond the basics of letting you share high-speed Internet access with computers and devices in the house, home network allow you to control what the kids are doing on the Web, share data and multimedia files, automate backups for all of your PCs, and even use webcams to see what that new puppy is doin in the living room while you're at work. The bedroom computer upstairs can print to the color printer in the downstairs study, and the media PC in the living room can show a movie on the PC-connected TV in the basement rec room.

Adding on network oriented products and peripherals makes the setup even more useful. Network attached storage (NAS) lets you create shared folders for each family member; these folders can be accessed both from the home network or from the Internet if you're away from home. NAS devices also make effivient places to store all those backup files.