Hooking an analog phone up to digital FiOS

Rotary FiOS
[Via Marco.org]

We got FiOS installed today. There was a convincing bundle with land-line phone service, and since both Verizon and AT&T have spotty coverage in the area, we took the option.

But we needed an actual phone to plug into the wall during the installation.

So, over Thanksgiving, my mother generously gave me her rotary phone from Brooklyn in the 1970s, which has been in full-time use for over 30 years:

It’s a Western Electric Model 500. It still works flawlessly and has required no maintenance or repair at all except for a replacement cord every decade or so. (It even still has their old 212 phone number typed on the card in the dial hub.)

It rings satisfyingly and substantially, since there are actually two little bells in there that get struck with a little hammer, 10 times per second each, elegantly alternating with the 20 Hz AC ring current’s cycles.

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This is nice to know – that modern digital transmissions can still deal with technology older than any of us.

We still have a similar phone for emergency purposes. When the power goes out, so does any ability to recharge cell phones or walk around ones. Thus an old Western 500 still works since it is powered by the phone line itself. That is one reason I still pay for a POS line. No need for electricity.

I wonder if that changes at all with FiOS – does the phone line still work when power is gone?

How many soldiers will want iPhones and how many will want Android?

by The U.S. Army

U.S. Army wants to issues every soldier an Apple iPhone; other devices including iPads being tested
[Via MacDailyNews]

The Army wants to issue every soldier an iPhone…

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This is pretty nice news – the Army will view the phone as part of the soldier’s gear and pay for the wireless service. I would expect that they will also have some military specific apps on them. They will also be field testing iPads.

Will we see some future movie about soldiers in a foxhole using their iPhone for combat purposes?

And no mention of Windows Phone 7? The article mentioned Palm but not Microsoft. I wonder how their sales managers are feeling?

The Judicial system upholds our 4th Amendment rights

Appeals court: warrant required before Feds can read e-mail
[Via Ars Technica]

The government must obtain a valid search warrant before infiltrating your e-mail in a criminal investigation, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. The appeals court ruled Tuesday on US v. Warshak, noting that e-mail “requires strong protection under the Fourth Amendment,” and that law enforcement can’t demand for an ISP to give up e-mail with just a court order.

The story behind the case goes back to 2006, when the Feds gained access to e-mail belonging to Steven Warshak, the man behind the “natural male enhancement” product Enzyte. At the time, Warshak had already incurred the wrath of the FTC, which said that there was no evidence that his products worked and found that his company routinely signed up callers for a monthly subscription plan that was difficult to cancel. Soon the FBI and the Postal Inspectors got on Warshak’s case for mail and wire fraud as well.

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They HAVE to get a warrant to read our email. Nice to have that definite.

Of course, how hard is it to get a warrant these day? I guess it means you have to be notified right? Unless if it for something like a warrantless wiretap?

Still lots of work to do on getting our 4th Amendment rights back