Neat Net Tricks

Microsoft says if you buy a computer with Vista on it (which is about all there is, unless you concede to one of those tiny laptops or go for Apple), you’ll get the Windows 7 upgrade for free. But you have to take the plunge before the new system goes on sale in October.

If you wait until then, you’ll have to pay $120 to upgrade your PC to Windows 7 Home Premium, $200 for Windows 7 Professional, and $220 for Windows 7 Ultimate.

So there you have it. The early bird truly gets the worm, but the worm is typically found in the Apple, where the upgrade to Mac’s new OS X Snow Leopard will cost only $30. Of course, Apple users deserve a price break for what they paid initially for their machines.

Here’s the scenario: You are in a crowded shopping mall and your cell phone sounds off with a musical ring tone that you’ve purchased. You have just violated copyright law and you now owe $80,000 for performing publicly without a license.

Lest you think I’ve taken leave of my senses, better read this report at http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/06/ascap-wants-be-paid- .

Do you feel that everyone is trying to get in your pocket?

If you read this blog, you may have seen my earlier gripe about the local KFC folks not honoring my coupons for a free grilled chicken dinner. I read now where two California residents are suing the chain, claiming it was a “bait and switch” gimmick. Meanwhile, I’ve just received another free coupon as a consolation prize so I’ll let you know if they run out of chicken by the time I get there. ***

Elsewhere KFC’s parent, Yum Brands, is changing the name of one of its chains from Pizza Hut to simply “The Hut”. I’m not making this up; see the report at http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2009/06/19/pizza-hut-cuts-the-quot-pizza-quot.aspx . If that’s a successful move, you might wonder what’s next in store for KFC, maybe call it “The Birdcage” ?

I don’t think this is what Colonel Sanders had in mind for his chicken outfit.

***Followup: Took the coupons in and they said NOW I had to come back at a prescribed time. I asked them if the giveaway was NOW good only on days not ending in “Y”. Anyway, this is purely venting and I promise I won’t write about chicken anymore in a blog that is intended for computer and Internet topics.

Those seeking jobs with the City of Bozeman (Montana) are now asked on their employment applications Please list any and all current personal or business Web sites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc. The news item I read reported that the requested information also includes user names and passwords, but the City promises to only use this to verify application information and they won’t hold it against anyone for refusing to provide it.

Uh huh. Being myself a former city personnel director of many years, I’m confident that this policy won’t be on the books for very long. Meanwhile, if you’re seeking work you might just detour around Bozeman.

****** Added: OK, it’s safe to go through Bozeman again. As I expected, the City Commission abolished the policy Monday.

Picture this young lady who just won $50,000 as the U.S. National Texting Champion. She sends 400-470 texts a day, 14,000 per month. She won the title by texting blindfolded, texting while maneuvering through a moving obstacle course, and competing with 20 other finalists in two days of competition.

And you thought these kids were just ignoring their parents at the dinner table?

There’s a nice summary at http://www.pcworld.com/article/166590/six_editions_of_windows_7_whats_with_all_the_whining.html?tk=nl_bpx_h_cbstories about the six editions of upcoming Windows 7 and what each one briefly will mean to you.Not that it matters, as the author points out, since people will almost never make a decision on which version of Windows to buy. They’ll just use what came on their machine, which makes all of this clamor about the number of options available little more than unhelpful noise.

I thought I was revisiting the old TV sitcom Get Smart when I read about the Cloak of Silence at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31369750/ns/technology_and_science-science . You may remember Maxwell Smart stepped into a Cone of Silence whenever he wanted to privately converse with Agent 99 or the Chief. It never seemed to work, but let’s hope this new stuff does better. Painted on a submarine, it will bend acoustic waves so that the sub won’t be detected on sonar. Now, in true Maxwell Smart fashion, the enemy might say I missed it by THAT much!

News report: Nearly 700,000 calls were received by a federal hot line this week from people confused about the nationwide move on Friday to drop analog TV signals and broadcast only in digital.

Another report said an estimated 1 million TV watchers found only snow on their sets when the switch was made from analog to digital.

Maybe I should be a little more sympathetic with these folks, but hasn’t this been publicized now for months? I know every time I turned on my TV I saw a crawl telling me of the upcoming conversion. Where have all these people been?

I read where USA Today has cranked out an electronic version of its daily newspaper, the nation’s largest in terms of circulation. The email version will cost readers but not quite as much as the paper edition. I suppose this is a growing trend in our modern technobabble world, but I wonder if it will catch on. Ebooks, for example, were never the rousing success that some predicted, perhaps because you can’t take them to the bathroom with you. Well, you can, I suppose, but the computer cables might get in your way.