Will we still have a PC sitting on a desk at home in the future? Let's say in 10 years time?

I think, probably not. The end of the PC home computer (and thankfully Windows along with it) has already begun.

The main factors which will kill off traditional desktop computers are already in place.

BusinessWeek is reporting that Verizon is getting ready to increase DSL prices to its customers; yes, I said INCREASE prices.  However, this is a 'stealth' increase.  The government last year (that would be your, yes YOUR representatives and senators, not just mine) voted to deregulate the telecommunications industry.  As a consequence, certain taxes that were hidden in your DSL bill are going away.  That's all well and good; I tend to be generally in favor of the government staying out of things.  Every time the government gets involved in something it becomes a bloody mess.  But guess what Verizon has decided to do?

Verizon is enacting a rate increase that is almost exactly equivalent to the amount that they are no longer paying the government in taxes.  Verizon is enacting this rate increase at almost exactly the same time that the tax is set to expire.  Sound a little convenient?

I thought so. 

However, because the increase in price coincides with the reduction in taxes, the consumer will see a net effect of NOTHING in their rates.  That's why I call it a 'stealth' increase, rates that should have dropped because of the tax reduction will end up remaining unchanged.

So, why should the customer care?  After all, it isn't affecting them, right?

Wrong.

If you don't start complaining, and right now, then what will happen is that instead of using that money to improve your services, Verizon will pocket that money.  It will go to CTOs, CEOs, and share-holders, people who neither know of nor care about you in any way, shape, or form, except as a source of income for them.

Now, don't get me wrong; I'm all for making an honest buck.  You do that by rendering a good product or service at an equitable price.  This, however, is so brazen that it smacks of open contemp; you are TOO STUPID to know better and even if you do, you are TOO LAZY to stop them, so their thinking goes.  And you know what?   If you let them get away with this:

THEY ARE RIGHT

If you are a Verizon customer, contact your Representatives and Senators .  Contact the Federal Communications Commission.  And contact Verizon.  Make sure that Verizon understands that the money they get from this had BETTER be going to improve services, or you want it back.

The Enquirer has an article that points to a CNET interview with an exec at IBM , Ross Mauri.  In this article, Mr. Mauri mentions that the Power 6 chip (due in early- to mid-2007) will debut at somewhere between 4 and 5 GHz.  However, CNET has another interview with no less than the chief architect of the Power 6, Brad McCredie, which was published back in Febrary .  In THAT article, Mr. McCredie ALSO stated that the Power 6 would come out at somewhere between 4 and 5 GHz.  In addition, they expect to hit these performance levels while maintaining the same power envelope as they see for the Power 5 chip.

So, why is this significant?

Well, remember that AMD and IBM are research and development partners.  From what I understand, IBM is using a variant of the same socket 1207 interface that AMD is using for AM2.  The Power 6 core is due out in a time-frame slightly trailing the 65nM AMD chips, but still using 65nM tech.  We posted here that 65nM AMD chips had been spotted in Taiwan, and were hitting 2 GHz already, several months before release.  Add it all up, and it seems like there is a distinct possibility that IBM is going to use AMD to help iron the wrinkles out of their production process, and the 65nM chips might be some serious performers.

What do you think?  Am I taking some really good drugs?  Does Intel just completely own AMD until the end of time, or is AMD getting ready to strike back hard?  Tell me, in the forums!

Wild_andy_c comes out of the closet and gives us an overview of the realities of the motherboard manufacturing business specifically, the hardware business in general, and how cut-throat competition and the 'RMA Culture' have affected all of us.

Discuss this in the forums!  

By now, I'm sure many of you know about the shutdown and seizure of hardware used to run The Pirate Bay, a web site that purports to provide links to resources for downloading copyrighted content.

For those of you that don't, the short version goes like this: Late last week, Swedish police raided the data centers for Internet Service Provider Rix|Port80 in 10 different locations and seized the hardware which was being used to run The Pirate Bay web site.

Here's where the trouble starts.  The Pirate Bay was hosted by web hosting company PRQ.  Every site hosted by PRQ was seized; somewhere between 200 and 300 domains, almost all of which had nothing to do with The Pirate Bay, were shut down.  In addition, although the officers had search warrants, the seizure itself appears to have been illegal.  Apparently, The Pirate Bay was operating entirely within the bounds of Swedish law.  Although annoying to the MPAA, irritating to the international copyright community, and potentially damaging to copyright holders, what The Pirate Bay was doing was LEGAL IN SWEDEN!

Now, we can argue all day long about whether Swedish law should be changed.  However, what appears to have happened here is that justice was purchased by the MPAA, rather than determined through due process.  There are poeple who should be going to jail over this, but I'm not convinced they are with The Pirate Bay.

Do I think what The Pirate Bay is doing is wrong?  Probably.  But what's wrong and what's legal are different things, and so long as they operate within the limits of the law of their country, they should be free from prosecution.

Even this discussion, though, is missing the larger issue, at least to me.  When a company or organization can essentially buy justice, as appears to have been done here with the MPAA and the Swedish authorities, there is a fundamental problem with the legal system.  To make matters worse, it appears that the U.S. government has had at least SOME involvement in pressuring Swedish authorities into taking this action.  Finally, this action has resulted in harm to a number of innocent bystanders, and the response has essentially been "When you make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs".

The laws of civilized countries are supposed to work for the protection of ALL their people, not just those who can 'pay the price'.  If you think the law is wrong, then you should absolutely work to change it.  But do it the right way; don't just go out and 'buy' your justice.  Sooner or later, the justice that you purchased will be bought by someone with deeper pockets than you.

Discuss this in the forums.