Removed From Troubles – Problem Resolved (NOT open for application) Core of Soul Removed From Troubles – Removed From Network (OPEN for application) Finch; Nine Inch Nails

COVID-19 has shone a very bright light on the importance of widely available, affordable broadband. Nearly 42 million Americans lack access to any broadband whatsoever--double FCC estimates. And millions more can't afford service thanks to a lack of competition among very powerful, government pampered telecom monopolies.

As usual, with political pressure mounting to "do something," DC's solution is going to be to throw more money at the problem:

"The plan unveiled Thursday would inject $80 billion over five years into expansion of broadband infrastructure into neglected rural, suburban and urban areas, with an emphasis on communities with high levels of poverty. It includes measures to promote rapid building of internet systems, such as low-interest financing for infrastructure projects."

To be clear, subsidies often do help shore up broadband availability at coverage. The problem is that the United States government, largely captured by telecom giants with a vested interest in protecting regional monopolies, utterly sucks at it.

Despite ample pretense to the contrary, nobody in the US government actually knows where broadband is currently available. Data supplied by ISPs has never been rigorously fact-checked by a government fearful of upsetting deep-pocketed campaign contributors (and valued NSA partners). As a result, our very expensive ($350 million at last count) FCC broadband coverage map creates a picture of availability and speed that's complete fantasy. It's theater designed to disguise the fact that US broadband is mediocre on every broadband metric that matters. Especially cost.

While there has been some effort to fix the mapping problem via recent legislation, the FCC still needs several years (and more money) to do so. And while you'd think this would be more obvious, you can't fix a problem you can't even effectively measure. There's also not much indication that the $80 billion, while potentially well intentioned, would actually get where it needs to go. Especially right now, when federal oversight is effectively nonexistent.

You may or may not have noticed this, but US telecom is a corrupt, monopolized mess. Giants like AT&T and Comcast all but own state and federal legislatures and, in many instances, literally write the law. Feckless regulators bend over backward to avoid upsetting deep-pocketed campaign contributors. So when subsidies are doled out, they very often don't end up where regulators and lawmakers intended. There's an endless ocean of examples where these giants took billions in taxpayer subsidies to deploy fiber networks that are never fully delivered.

If you were to do meaningful audit (which we've never done because again we're not willing to adequately track the problem or stand up to dominant incumbent corporations) you'd very likely find that American taxpayers already paid for fiber to every home several times over.

That's not to say is that there aren't things Congress could do to help the disconnected during COVID-19. Libraries for example have been begging the FCC for the ability to offer expanded WiFi hotspot access (via mobile school buses) to disconnected communities without running afoul of FCC ERate rules. But while the FCC said libraries can leave existing WiFi on without penalty, it has been mute about whether they can extend coverage outside of library property. Why? As a captured agency, the FCC doesn't like anything that could potentially result in Comcast or AT&T making less money.

None of this is to say that we shouldn't subsidize broadband deployment once we get a handle on the mapping problem. But it's a fantasy to think we're going to immediately fix a 30 year old problem with an additional $80 billion in a mad dash during a pandemic. US broadband dysfunction was built up over decades. It's the product of corruption and rot that COVID-19 is exposing at every level of the US government. The only way to fix it is to stand up to industry, initiate meaningful reform, adopt policies that drive competition to market, and jettison feckless lawmakers and regulators whose dominant motivation is in protecting AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and Spectrum revenues.

Maybe the pandemic finally provides the incentive to actually do that, but until the US does, these subsidization efforts are largely theater.

A few weeks ago, the US telecom industry began pushing a bullshit narrative through its usual allies. In short, the claim revolves around the argument that the only reason the US internet still works during a pandemic was because the Trump FCC ignored the public, ignored most objective experts, and gutted itself at the behest of telecom industry lobbyists. The argument first popped up over at AEI, then the Trump FCC, then the pages of the Wall Street Journal, and has since been seen in numerous op-eds nationwide. I'd wager that's not a coincidence, and I'd also wager we'll be seeing a lot more of them.

All of the pieces try to argue that the only reason the US internet works during a pandemic is because the FCC gutted its authority over telecom as part of its "restoring internet freedom" net neutrality repeal. This repeal, the story goes, drove significant investment in US broadband networks (not remotely true), resulting in telecom Utopia (also not true). The argument also posits that in Europe, where regulators have generally taken a more active role in policing things like industry consolidation and telecom monopolies, the internet all but fell apart (guess what: not true).

Usually, like in this op-ed, there's ample insistence that the US broadband sector is largely wonderful while the EU has gone to hell:

"Unlike here, European networks are more heavily regulated. This has led to less investment and worse performance for consumers for years. American consumers are being generally well served by the private sector."

Anybody who has spent five minutes talking to Comcast customer support -- or tried to get scandal-plagued ISP like Frontier Communications to upgrade rotten DSL lines -- knows this is bullshit. Still, we penned a lengthy post exploring just how full of shit this argument is, and how there's absolutely zero supporting evidence for the claims. The entire house of cards is built on fluff and nonsense, and it's just ethically grotesque to use a disaster to help justify regulatory capture and market failure.

While it's true that the US internet, in general, has held up relatively well during a pandemic, the same can't be said of the so called "last mile," or the link from your ISP's network to your home. Yes, the core internet and most primary transit routes, designed to handle massive capacity spikes during events like the Superbowl, has handled the load relatively well. The problem, as Sascha Meinrath correctly notes here, is sluggish speeds on consumer and business lines that, for many, haven't been upgraded in years:

"Right now, an international consortium of network scientists is collecting 750,000 U.S. broadband speed tests from internet service provider (ISP) customers each day, and we’ve been tracking a stunning loss of connectivity speeds to people’s homes. According to most ISPs, the core network is handling the extra load. But our data show that the last-mile network infrastructure appears to be falling down on the job."

Again, your 5 Mbps DSL line might be ok during normal times, but it's not going to serve you well during a pandemic when your entire family is streaming 4K videos, gaming, and Zooming. And your DSL line isn't upgraded because there's (1) very little competition forcing your ISP to do so, and (2) the US government is filled to the brim with sycophants who prioritize campaign contributions and ISP revenues over the health of the market and consumer welfare. And while there's a contingency of industry-linked folks who try very hard to pretend otherwise, this is a policy failure that's directly tied to mindless deregulation, a lack of competition, and, more importantly, corruption. In short, the complete opposite of the industry's latest talking point.

For years we've been noting how US telcos have refused to repair or upgrade aging DSL lines because it's not profitable enough, quickly enough for Wall Street's liking. Facing no competition and no regulatory oversight, there's zero incentive for a giant US broadband provider to try very hard. Similarly, because our lawmakers and regulators are largely of the captured, revolving door variety, they rubber stamp shitty mergers, turn a blind eye to very obvious industry problems, routinely throwing billions in taxpayer money at monopolies in exchange for fiber networks that are usually only partially deployed -- if they're deployed at all.

Meanwhile, US telcos that have all but given up on upgrading aging DSL lines have helped cement an even bigger Comcast monopoly across vast swaths of America. It's a problem that the telecom sector, Trump FCC, and various industry apologists will ignore to almost comical effect. Also ignored is the fact that this results in US broadband subscribers paying some of the highest prices for broadband in the developed world:

"Numerous studies, including those conducted by the FCC itself, show that broadband pricing is the second-largest barrier to broadband adoption (availability is the first). It’s obvious that if people are being charged a lot for a service, they’re less likely to purchase it. And independent researchers have already documented that poor areas often pay more than rich communities for connectivity. Redlining of minority and rural areas appears to be widespread, and we need accurate pricing data from the FCC to meaningfully address these disparities."

Try to find any instance where Ajit Pai, or anybody in this chorus of telecom monopoly apologists, actually admits that the US broadband market isn't competitive and, as a result, is hugely expensive for businesses and consumers alike. You simply won't find it. What you will find are a lot of excuses and straw men arguments like this latest one, designed to distract the press, public, and policymakers from very obvious market failure. Market failure that was a major problem in normal times, and exponentially more so during a pandemic where broadband is an essential lifeline.

Best of the Best Banana Bread recipes - perfectly uncomplicated, which is exactly what we need during these times [recipe]

craving more? check out TasteSpotting

Microsoft, Cisco, Google etc gang up to form Open RAN Policy Coalition

Some of America’s super-corps have remembered how the US became the dominant global technology force it is, and have vowed to use innovation over threats to counter Chinese dominance in 5G markets.…

A little old lady walks into Bank of America and asks to open a savings account. The new accounts receptionist first thinks this is strange, probably because everyone is leaving them for credit unions now. At any rate, the accounts person asks her how much she wanted to deposit to open the account, and the […]

The post Getting Bank of America By The Balls appeared first on Funny & Jokes.

The DNC is a one big capitalistic gangbang of Democrats and corporate donors and lobbyists. Guess who is getting screwed? Continue reading →

Today IBM and Eurobank announced the first cloud-based digital platform for online international commercial trading. Using IBM's industry-leading Digital Experience software, with advanced cloud capabilities and social offerings, Eurobank is uniting exporters and importers from around the globe to enhance international trade operations and increase transactions.

Bank of Montreal (BMO), CaixaBank, Commerzbank and Erste Group have joined an initiative launched by UBS and IBM in 2016 to build a new global trade platform based on blockchain technology. This new platform, called Batavia, is built to be openly accessed by organisations of all sizes anywhere in the world, and can support trade finance for transactions across all modes of trade, whether goods are being transported by air, land or sea.

China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation Limited (“CCB (Asia)”) and IBM today announced the development of the first blockchain-enabled bancassurance project in Hong Kong. Built on the IBM Blockchain Platform, the solution is designed to streamline CCB (Asia)’s bancassurance process and greatly enhance customer experience and the quality of services delivered through faster transaction processing time and increased transparency.

• Con vigencia de 10 años, Banorte e IBM firman alianza estratégica que permitirá establecer las bases de un nuevo modelo de banca enfocado al cliente, y mejorar sustancialmente sus índices de eficiencia para alcanzar niveles cercanos al 40%, así como retornos sobre capital superiores al 20%. El acuerdo incluye servicios de consultoría y de tecnología, investigación y desarrollo. • “Estamos plenamente satisfechos con el acuerdo logrado, pues este suma el mejor talento humano, tanto de IBM, como de Banorte Ixe, y está en línea con nuestra búsqueda de herramientas tecnológicas para servir a nuestros clientes de manera individualizada”: Alejandro Valenzuela.

El Grupo BBVA acaba de formalizar un acuerdo con IBM para que esta firma asuma la operación y transformación de la infraestructura tecnológica actual de BBVA y el procesamiento de datos en América Latina y EE.UU., actualmente gestionada por su filial ATA en México.

IBM today announced that Westpac New Zealand, part of one of the world’s largest financial services institutions, has selected IBM’s private cloud technology to support its goal to be New Zealand’s leading digital bank. The new five year agreement is part of an extensive services and technology contract which includes Westpac migrating some of its business critical IT systems into IBM’s state-of-the-art Auckland data centre, enabling enhanced customer service.

La marca de moda urbana DPStreet, filial del corporativo GrupoDP, ha dado a conocer su intención de transformar el modelo comercial y de negocio apoyados en la habilitación de distintas estrategias digitales, una de las principales es una tienda virtual desarrollada por IBM (Digital Commerce) e implementada por Solemti S.A. de C.V., su asociado de negocios en el área digital.

IBM Security anunció hoy los resultados de su informe 2018 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, en donde se muestra que la cantidad de registros infringidos cayó casi un 25% en 2017 a medida que los cibercriminales cambiaron el enfoque en el lanzamiento de ransomware y ataques destructivos que buscaban retener o destruir información a menos que la víctima pagara algún rescate.

BNZ, one of the country’s leading banks announces it has selected IBM to deliver cross-channel fraud prevention to its customers. The multi-million dollar deal will support BNZ’s aim to provide its customers the ability to bank securely while delivering a positive customer experience.

red hat, open source, bank of new zealand, enterprise linux 5, system z, National Australia Bank Group, data center

Tres proyectos que proponen mejorar la interacción y la experiencia de los jóvenes usuarios con servicios bancarios móviles, fueron reconocidos hoy por Banorte, IBM y el Tec de Monterrey como resultado del Reto Banorte en el marco de la Semana i, que la institución educativa llevó a cabo del 21 al 25 de septiembre en todo el país.

lior Banque annonce aujourd’hui avoir choisi l’application IBM MobileFirst sur iOS pour apporter une transformation fondamentale à la façon dont les clients en Pologne interagissent avec leur banque. A l’aide d’un iPad, les professionnels des services bancaires pourront fournir une expérience plus dynamique et personnalisée aux clients en tirant avantage de la puissance de l’analyse prédictive, et ce de façon sécurisée, facile, rapide et disponible 24h/24.

ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, IBM Scentre Group and Westpac have jointly launched a live pilot for Lygon, a new digital platform using blockchain technology to transform the way businesses obtain and manage bank guarantees that are often required as part of a retail property lease.

IBM today announced the opening of a new data centre facility in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland. The data centre will augment IBM’s existing recovery centre located nearby, to provide exceptional and unrivalled risk mitigation for client information and data.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has selected IBM XIV Storage System Gen3 as a key infrastructure component for its ongoing development and delivery of customer-focussed business applications.

ANZ and Westpac have teamed with IBM (NYSE:IBM) and shopping centre operator Scentre Group and have now successfully digitised the bank guarantee process used for commercial property leasing.

IBM Watson Customer Engagement tools help extend the Bank’s leadership in customer experience.

One of Australia’s leading digital banks taps cognitive technology to simplify the home loan application process with innovative virtual assistan

Bankovní rada České národní banky ve čtvrtek snížila základní úrokovou sazbu o 0,75 procentního bodu na 0,25 procenta. Cílem snižování sazeb je zmírnit dopady šíření koronaviru na ekonomiku. Centrální banka to uvedla v tiskovém prohlášení.

Three-time Olympic champion Sun Yang has lodged an appeal an appeal to the Swiss federal court in an attempt to overturn his eight-year doping ban.

Posted by: iamrman

People seemed interested in my New Mutants Dungeons and Dragons story, so here is the first chapter.

( Read more... )

Potřeba finančního polštáře je dnes aktuálnější než kdy jindy. Jaká by měla být naše rezerva? A kam ji uložit? Zmapovali jsme aktuální nabídku spořicích účtů. Příběh klienta Poradny při finanční tísni ukazuje, jak se dá náhle dostat do dluhů, až k osobnímu bankrotu.

• 1 head romaine, chopped ($1.70)
• 1 orange, peeled and sectioned ($.50)
• 1 banana, sliced ($.30)
• 2 tablespoons sliced onion

• 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned ($1.00)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar ($.20)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or two droppers stevia) ($.40)
• 3 tablespoons tahini ($.40)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes for the top

1. Prepare the salad ingredients.
2. Place all the dressing ingredients except the crushed red pepper flakes into a blender and puree until very smooth. 
3. Assemble the salad ingredients on plates or in bowls. Add the orange sections, banana slices, and onion to the top.
4. Pour salad dressing over and add a sprinkle of black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. I added both.

1. Trump admin working to temporarily ban work-based visas: Report  Top Live News
2. US lawmakers want H-1B visas and foreign students internship suspended to protect American jobs  Times of India
3. US likely to temporarily ban work-based visas like H-1B due to rise in unemployment  Zee News
4. US Mulls Temporary Ban on Work Visas Amid Unemployment: Reports  The Quint
5. 5 US lawmakers ask Trump to suspend new H-1B visas  The Tribune India
6. View Full coverage on Google News

WWE Money In The Bank Kickoff begins at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT on Sunday, May 10.

На третий месяц конституционной истерики индеец Зоркий Глаз догадался, что над ним просто издеваются.

На самом деле это удивительное ощущение, когда ты смотришь живое кино о бесстыдстве эпохи. Только это не эпоха какого-нибудь Нерона, а наши дни в отдельно взятой стране.

Единственная цель изменений в Конституции — это как-то объяснить, почему Владимир Путин больше 20 лет не может выпустить из жадного кулака власть, данную ему однажды на 4 года. Это беда не Путина, к слову, а народа: на всем постсоветском пространстве, кроме самых цивилизованных республик (Украины, Грузии, немножко Армении) установилась та же ситуация: побултыхавшись немного без Генерального секретаря партии республики, помыкавшись со своей новой прогрессивной Конституцией самостоятельного государства, феодальное общество быстро заскучало и выдвинуло нового царька на веки вечные. И каждый из этих царьков по-своему объяснил своему народу, почему закон о смене власти конкретно к нему не относится. Ну там в Белоруссии он типа лучший хозяйственник и без него все развалится, в Туркмении — великий сын неба или кто он там, в Казахстане — отец народа великой степи, и так далее. Этот процесс кристаллизации местных царьков на обломках СССР идёт уже 30 лет, и мы привыкли. В России до последнего года пытались делать вид, что мы Европа и у нас все цивилизованно, без царьков, просто законы такие, что позволили чуть задержаться. Но в 2020 решили, что зачем цирк, расшаркивания и исходные схемы, если можно все обнулить без цирковых номеров и джигитовки. Тоже смешно, но речь не об этом. Затем были выделены деньги на рекламу — надо как-то объяснить народу, почему важно прийти и проголосовать за изменения в Конституции, которые касаются не его (народа), а одного лишь Путина. И понеслось... Это жалкое зрелище, когда задача поставлена, а как ее решить — креатива нет:

Какие нахуй семейные ценности будут в исправленной Конституции, каких не было в старой? Или вот совсем кризис мысли — котики. В любой непонятной ситуации рисуй котиков. Котиков все любят, проголосуют за котика, заодно и за поправки в Конституцию. Вид у котика на снимке совершенно охуевший, и его можно понять:

Какие нахуй отношения с животными регламентирует Конституция РФ?! Это же смех и портрет эпохи. А вот совсем уже прекрасно — волонтеры. Вообще волонтерское движение возникает по определению там, где не справляется власть. Поэтому в Конституции оно не прописано ни в какой. Ни в новой, ни в старой, ни в американской. Но мне всё-таки кажется, что художник тонко троллил, нарисовав добровольцев, закапывающих новую Конституцию нахуй:

If you have an Adsense account you’ve probably heard some of the horror stories about people having their Adsense account banned, their earnings held by Google, and being basically left out in the cold with no revenue coming into their site. And while it can happen without warning (Google is notorious for making policy changes and not notifying anyone or always offering a clear explanation) most of the time it’s the fault of the owner of the site. This is either because they didn’t take the time to terms of service and had their Adsense account banned. Or they got caught trying to cheat the system and as a result have a banned Adsense account.

1. Coronavirus: MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow isolated from husband  NEWS.com.au
2. MasterChef Australia: Poh Ling Yeow and her husband have been apart for a month due to COVID-19 restrictions  msnNOW
3. View Full coverage on Google News

As Thailand's capital cautiously reopens many restaurants shuttered over coronavirus fears, the feline "employees" of the Caturday Cafe are back at work.

SALLY BANGS THE CLOWN not that there's anything wrong with that

As most of us know, states across the U.S. can no longer rely on a defined fire season. This sobering truth is especially evident in California where the fire season is 70 days longer than it was 40 years ago, and fire ignitions in the state have greatly

For the second year in a row, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta was marked by the tragic death of a person in a balloon. Now, Wells Fargo Bank is trying to help the families of those at the center of this year's accident.
Wells Fargo opened the account for the families of pilots Keith Sproul and Stephen Lachendro, who were in the "Wings Of Wind" balloon when it hit a power line last Friday morning.
The gondola caught fire and separated from the balloon envelope, crashing to the ground.

Thieves made off with radios, computers and other items.
Wells Fargo has already donated $1,000 into the account to help the families deal with expenses surrounding the funeral, medical care costs and the break-in .
Donors who want to give to the account can contact Wells Fargo and should ask about donating to the Debbie Sproul account.

Fire chiefs from France, the United Kingdom, and the United States gathered in Quincy, Massachusetts at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Urban Fire Forum (UFF) to listen to first-hand accounts of some of the biggest emergency response incidents over the past 15 months, including hurricane response in Texas and Florida, the Grenfell Tower fire in London, and the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando.

Помните такую штуку - Google Stadia? Если нет, то вы делаете всё верно.
Так вот, для неё вышла такая штука, как Final Fantasy XV, и если вы её забыли, то вас тоже легко понять: запоминать-то там совершенно нечего.
Так вот, в стадия-версии пятнашки был эксклюзивный контент. Впервые за четыре месяца после релиза нашёлся несчастный человек, который решил его опробовать, и у него отвалилась жопа.

Дальше »

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is currently $37.50 on cdkeys.com. Yesterday it was $41. 

https://www.cdkeys.com/pc/games/mount-and-blade-ii-2-bannerlord-pc

On Steam its MSRP is $50 with a limited time sale going on now for $45. The game just came out to Early Access 3/31.

The question now is: jump now on the good price, or will the price continue to fall?

Note: It's in Early Access and has been in development for like 8 years. Expect some clunk.