• It doesn’t take three days to restore a botched code patch. Skype is too smart not to be revision-controlling their server code. And these aren’t 500 GB patches, either. They’re probably a few MB in size and can be replicated across Skype’s network in minutes, if not seconds. This “algorithm” explanation makes no sense. If it were bad programming, why didn’t Skype just roll it back from their CVS or their CodeSafe or whatever rev system they’re using?
• A more plausible explanation would be the disappearance and subsequent difficult restoration of centralized authentication data, ie. customer account information. Perhaps somebody forgot to push in a backup tape one night. No joke. This makes more sense to me. Did anybody change a password just prior to the Skype outage and then fail to have that password change reflected after the system came back online?
• The Windows Update theory is out the window. pun intended. Mac users were knocked out too.

Second, I tried out an online dating site for a social networking white paper I’ve been working on (OK so maybe I went to a few dinners, too). After I concluded my inquiries, I cancelled the subscription to the dating site. After cancellation, I got a re-up offer at 20% off the original fee. Then, a few weeks later, I got a re-up offer at 35% off. Now, I’m up to 50% off. Maybe I should just keep waiting until it’s totally free.

Then there’s the whole new customer service bundle thing that the MSOs and telcos are doing. Want cheaper broadband access? Cancel your subscription for a month, say you went to a competitor, and then let the original service provider “win” you back at $20/month for a year. Sure it’s dirty, but no dirtier than charging happy customers more than available customers.

The lesson?  Prospective revenue is more valuable to these guys than current revenue.

Yes, you too can “save our planet” by throwing towels on the hotel bathroom floor. Yup, somehow, this will rescue the planet from inevitable doom imposed by consuming too much water. Never mind the fact that water consumption encourages public health or that water is an infinitely renewable resource. Go now, and save our planet!

So I thought, boy that’s strange.

Then, when I got back to my office, I had 2 Grand Central voicemails in my inbox. Both of which were from the same caller that had called my phone–and neither of which contained anything other that breathing. Each was about 3 seconds long. So the caller had been dialing my Grand Central number–which forwards to my cell phone number.
Now here’s the funny thing: I’ve never given my Grand Central number to anybody. So it’s odd that somebody from the 216 area code of all places (Cleveland, where I reside) would be calling me on it. It makes it less of a random thing and more of a coincidence. Also, I could understand if a FAX machine was running on auto pilot and calling my number over and over, but hey FAX machines don’t breathe on your voicemail.

A call back to the caller’s number greeted me with a generic voicemail prompt and the caller hasn’t returned my call yet.

After I chided the VoIP Girl a bit about her awesome-but-ample headset, Ken Camp added his fuel to the fire. So, here, I’m posting a picture of my headphones. These are Roland RH-120 stereo headphones, purchased in 1995 for what at the time was probably a week’s pay. I don’t use a boom mic set or anything like that. The built-in mic on my MacBook tends to work well enough. If I need to seriously record a VoIP chat, however, sometimes I’ll plug in my SM57 knock-off microphone into a mixer–one typically only used for music recording. But it’s a sensible low-noise mic that can be used for podcast recording and so forth.  Generally though, no special microphone for casual Skyping or Sightspeeding. By the way, this photo was a self-portrait snapped by the Nokia N73 because my MacBook’s built-in iSight is on the fritz.

Over the past year, which saw this blog transition from a home-recording and music technique blog into a full-on IP communications blog, I made it onto a few lists–some organic and others purely statistical. So, for that I’m very flattered. I also discovered that I’m the “Sucksmaster”; that is, the word sucks creeps into my vernacular on such a regular basis that I’m afraid Technorati is going to penalize me for trying to game Google traffic for hits on the keyword ‘sucks’. This has prompted me to investigate the Slang Thesaurus, which will hopefully aide me in avoiding abuse and overuse of guttertalk terms such as sucks. After all, I believe it became officially illegal to say anything ‘sucks’ or ‘rocks’ some time during the grunge era.

I recently sent a request to myspace asking how to take “last login” off my profile, this is the response i recieved:

MySpace Contact1 wrote:
Hello,

Please verify that you are logging in with the correct password and username. We also recommend clearing your browser’s cookies and temporary internet files and then try logging in again.

Often, changing internet browsers can do the trick. For example, try Internet Explorer if you are using AOL. Note: Mac users should use Safari or Firefox for the best browsing results.

Also, try lowering the your browsers security settings. If you are using a firewall, try lowering those settings, if possible.

If you have already tried the methods above, check to make sure your profile still exists by finding your profile on the site. Also, look for comments you posted on your friends’ profiles. If you cannot find your profile, it may have been deleted. MySpace may delete profiles if they violate the site’s Terms and conditions. You cannot retrieve a deleted account.

If problems persist, please reply to this e-mail and provide a brief explanation of the problem that you are having, the e-mail address and password with which you are trying to log in.

If this does not address your issue completely, please press “Reply” and provide any additional information you feel is relevant.

Thank you,
MySpace.com

Then I responded with:

To Whom it may Concern,

Thank you for your response to my question, however this is not at all what I was asking about. I would like to get rid of the “last login” line displayed on my profile that shows the last time I loged into myspace. I do not want people to know when I was on, even my friends. Yes I’m odd, thats just how I role.

Thank you again

Peter

To which they replied:

Hello,
Thank you for contacting Customer Service at MySpace.com.
To help us further assist you in logging in, please send the following:
Email/log on address:
Password (If you are uncomfortable sending your password, you may send a salute – a current photo of yourself holding a hand written sign containing your account ID for verification purposes):
A link to your site would also be very helpful as there may be an error with your email/log on address.
Thank you
MySpace.com

Which necessitated this from me:

Ok your completely wasting my time and clearly not even reading my emails. So first off, kiss my white butt. Secondly, I want to take off of my profile where it displays:

LAST LOGIN

if you cannot understand this they you clearly are a bunch of fools who have no business working with mentally challenged hamsters, let alone computers.

So if my profile suddenly gets deleted, you all know why.

I realized after watching the SightSpeed Guy’s umpteenth response that I asked way too many questions–not because his responses aren’t enjoyable, but because it took so much of his time to record answers to them all. But somehow, I get the impression he kind of enjoyed it.

I learned a few things about the Guy:

• He things Microsoft Windows is, and I quote, “phenomenal”.
• I am apparently the first person to interview him. Save for job interviews of course.
• He’s very humble about his massive skills.
• He knows how to pronounce Peter Csathy’s name. (“chatty”)

Here are the links to the other videoblog interview responses that Peter Zottolo put together for me:

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened during a SightSpeed call that you’ve ever seen?

When are we going to be able to SightSpeed while riding our bicycles?

Who’s more dense–Windows users or Mac users?

Can you give me a taste of what we can expect to see on Fizz Newzz?

What’s next for the SightSpeed Guy? Any aspirations of Comedy Central?

Would you ever be one of those guys on TLC that explores caves with all the eloquence and archaeological knowledge of a Malibu surfer dude?

You’ve joked about your name on YouTube. What about Peter Csathy’s name?

Peter was kind enough to record his answers to an e-mail interview in the format he’s best at: video. And he used Sightspeed to send me the video blog for your enjoyment and wore a suit for the occasion. What a Guy. Also–much to my relief–Raisin is going to live.

But now, it appears, some Hollywood types have noticed the Guy, and he’s going to be featured on a new ‘fake news’ program being aired by DirecTV. Fizz Newzz will air every other Sunday beginning on Feb. 18 on DirecTV channel 101.

What does this mean for the denizens of YouTube? Are there more stars to be made?  See how the democratized web rewards the real winners out there? Are you listening, Apple?

Go get ‘em, Peter!

I mean, futurists are supposed to be exciting and excited, and Gates seems neither. He’s always been this way. He’s talking about Internet television now, but with such a sense of library-book boringness that it’s no wonder he can’t motivate his troops to get OS updates out on time. Gates appeared on the Jon Stewart Daily Show, and poor old Jon himself was so infected by Gates’ nerdy aura of boredom that the guy couldn’t even quip any funny one-liners, raise his eyebrows, lean over his desk, and make his audience laugh.

Yawn city.

Me, I prefer the futurism of guys like Stewart himself, who wonders when we’re all going to get jetpacks. Bill says, in response, something like, “we aren’t even working on that.” Well why not, Uncle Billy?  Because there’s no model of monetizing flying cars and Jetsons skyrise living that suits Microsoft’s revenue engine.  Same thing for transporter beams and x-ray goggles. Hey if it aint licensable on a per-seat basis, it ain’t Microsoft.

Yet it’s things from the realm of Asimov and Clarke that get our heads thinking. Do we really care about digital rights or data synchronization or interactive olympic events? I don’t think so. I really don’t. We care about life-changing, revolutionary futurism. And perhaps that’s why the more incremental, refined vision Gates is presenting today falls flat when compared to the sky’s-the-limit optimism of the early eighties and late seventies, when everybody knew processing power would eventually give way to an onslaught of revolutionary software technologies, that, as Clarke might say, are indistinguishable from magic.

Gates isn’t preaching that sermon any more. Steve Jobs may be more charismatic, but even his delivery of things like multi-touch and Internet-downloadable movies reeks of “okay, that’s cool, what’s next?”. The shock value in information technology died soon after Psygnosis got bought by Sony, I swear.  It’s no longer about doing things differently or about doing entirely new things; it’s just about doing the same things, only faster.
And when that happens, and when you’re boring one of the funniest guys on television straight into a joke-free zone, it might really be time to hang up the hat. Bill, thanks for the memories. Now go sit on a sailboat and drink microbrews.

I wanted to come up with spontaneous nicknames for fellow bloggers–kind of like the “Weird Superheros” game on Who’s Line is it Anyway?. The first guy nicknames the second guy, the second guy nicknames the third, and so forth. So let’s see where it goes! Tag, you’re it guys (keep in mind, these are tongue-in-cheek):
Jeff “Yer It” Pulver

Ken “Not Impressed” Camp

Andy “His Andyness” Abramson

Bruce “Open Things” Stewart

Luca “High Visibility” Filigheddu