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The 404 Yuletide Mini-sode: Where we recap the movies of 2009
Welcome back to another Yuletide Mini-sode of CNET's The 404 Podcast. We'll be keeping you company all season with fresh episodes, year-end wrap-ups, CES 2010 previews, and much more!
We're all a little torn up about the top 50 highest grossing movies of 2009. Films like Watchmen, Bruno, and Star Trek blew us away and easily lived up to the hype; it's too bad that flops like Hotel For Dogs and Paranormal Activity had to ruin it for the rest!
In typical 404 fashion, we run down the list and pick out the movies that we love, and of course the movies that we love to hate.
Enjoy, and have a fun (and safe!) New Year!
Yuletide Mini-sode - Top Movies of 2009 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read moreFCC member berates Verizon for termination fees
An FCC commissioner has sent an open letter to Verizon Wireless, scolding the carrier for its new early termination fees.
Mignon Clyburn, one of five members of the Federal Communications Commission, was responding to the defense that Verizon sent the FCC last week about early termination fees, or EFTs.
"The company's answers...are unsatisfying and, in some cases, troubling. In particular, I am concerned about what appears to be a shifting and tenuous rationale for ETFs," she said in a statement (PDF) released Wednesday by the FCC. "No longer is the claim that ETFs are tied … Read more
Tips for the Terminal in OS X
The Terminal is a widely used application for getting to the OS X underpinnings, and we frequently recommend using it to tackle small problems in OS X. If you are a regular Terminal user, because it is basically a window under the hood of OS X you may find yourself focused on the active shell and overlooking a number of features the Terminal application itself has to offer.… Read more
How-To: Installing and using open-source Unix software in OS X with Fink
Thanks to the "Darwin" underpinnings in OS X, Mac users can compile and run many useful open source projects that are available for Unix operating systems. These include everything from command-line tools and editors, to graphical desktop environments and games. While websites such as "Sourceforge" try to make it easy to access the latest versions of open source projects, the projects will still need to be compiled if a binary is not available. Usually this process is straightforward, but at times modifications to the source code and installation scripts may be required to get them running.… Read more
GAO to FCC: Wireless users need more protection
WASHINGTON, D.C.--The Federal Communications Commission got a slap on the wrist Thursday from federal auditors for not doing enough to protect wireless subscribers.
The Government Accountability Office issued a report Thursday that said the FCC needs to improve oversight of the wireless industry to protect consumers. The agency said the FCC needs to do a better job enforcing consumer protection rules and educating the public about how they can submit complaints when they have experienced problems with their carriers.
The report was requested by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) when he was chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications … Read more
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FCC questions Verizon over ETF hike
There was a lot of hue and cry last month when Verizon raised its early termination fees for "advanced devices" to $350, and understandably so. Even with $10 decrease with each month of service, that's quite a large sum to pay in case you need to get out of your contract before the time is up.
It appears the FCC is just as curious about this change as are we--the FCC has sent an inquiry to Verizon (PDF link) asking it the tough questions of how the ETF will be implemented, like what exactly constitutes an &… Read more
Four unit conversion options in OS X
Number conversions are always convenient to have around. There are many times when you may need to convert grams to pounds, miles to kilometers, or see the latest exchange rates. In OS X there are some convenient ways to convert numbers that are readily available.… Read more
