Episode 659

In the news today, Microsoft says no to Yahoo's no, Verizon says there's no need to degrade P2P traffic, and Bill Gates says no to 8,000 Facebook friend requests. Also, analysts (and Steve Jobs and ATT's CEO) say a 3G iPhone is coming "soon," which is probably good news for all the BlackBerry owners suffering yet another unexplained critical outage. Get it together, RIM! 
==Stories Covered==
*Microsoft says Oh no, Yahoo
*Illegal downloaders 'face U.K. ban'
*Verizon: No 'need' to degrade P2P traffic...yes
*Netflix coming to Xbox 360 and PS3?
*Best Buy kicks HD DVD while it's down
*T-Mobile promises 3G by summer; Android phone and Austrian iPhone by end of year
*3G iPhone coming soon, analysts say
*Flash on iPhone is just around the corner
*RIM notifies of 'critical' BlackBerry outage
*Date set for presidential science debate 2008
*Bill Gates quits Facebook
*Tolkien Trust sues New Line, may kill "Hobbit"
==From The Phones==
*Josh from Tucson: Reasons I hate Sony.
*Eric from Georgia: Zune phone confusion.
==Emails==
===Netflix dropping HD DVD and my iPod Touch upgrade rant===
Hey Tom, Molly, and Jason, 
I have listened to your show for as long as I can remember and have never written in before. However, I just got an e-mail from Netflix and I had to write in. The e-mail says that they will no longer ship HD DVDs after February. Here is the e-mail that I received:
We're going Blu-ray
Dear Kevin,
You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high- definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.
While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.
Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.
We're sorry for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.
-The Netflix Team
I guess I picked the wrong format and am stuck with just the HD DVDs that I got for free with my Xbox player.
Another issue I would like to tell you guys about is my problem with the iPod Touch upgrade. I refuse to pay the $20 for the upgrade and have been getting the message reminding me to upgrade for some time now. I remember hearing on the show that the "No Thanks" option will pop up after a while. I was willing to forgive the nagging of Apple until I tried to hit the "No Thanks" button. Every time I hit the button I get an Itunes error saying that my request can not get processed. Worst of all, this message now pops up every time I connect my iPod, and I get the same error every time I try to hit "No Thanks". I was wondering If any one else is having the same problem. It sounds to me that this is a problem that Apple is in no hurry to fix.
Love the show!!
Kevin Seldomridge
Elkton, Maryland
===Results of Aaron's petition===
Hi guys,
Just wanting to inform you about the outcome of the petition regarding Aaron's grandpa's house.
Message from the petition author:
:The state of S.C. has decided to move the freeway that was scheduled to go through my Grandfather's house! I was able to collect over 2,200 signatures with our online petition, and it had a big impact in the decision by the state. I think what caught us off-guard the most were the comments on the petition. To everyone that signed and to everyone who wrote notes of encouragement, thank you!
I'm sure a lot of those signatures were from the "buzzers" out there! Nice work to everyone (who signed it)!
Cya,
James the Awwsie (Aussie) (that's how you Americans say it)
===iPod Touch won't let me sync!===
Hey Buzz crew,
Andy, here, from NYC. Just wanted to share a story that I know will tick Molly off.
So, I put my iPod Touch in to sync (for your podcast, actually) with iTunes and I greeted by the Software Upgrade for $19.99 page. I click No Thanks (again! this is the fourth time already!) and I'm sent to another page to remind me of the "benefits" of the upgrade. I click OK at the bottom (after already clicking No Thanks) which then sends me to iTunes Store.
Annoying. So, then I click on my iPod Touch on my Devices tab and guess what? I'm greeted by the Software Upgrade page again! And this time, it's the second page where it just says OK at the bottom. I click OK again and it sends me to the iTunes Store! I unplug and replug in my iPod Touch and get the same crap again! I even restart iTunes. Still getting the same loop. Then, I restart my computer. Same loop. I know they want me to get this upgrade, but I have no need for it, and it's really annoying that I can't seem to sync my iPod.
Anyway, I'm now writing to you and I still keep getting the same loop. I used to be an Apple fanboy--now, I'm simply just a boy with an Apple.
Thanks Buzz crew for listening! (Or reading, I guess) 
Andy
===iMac graphics problem===
To the caller who had a problem with graphics under Leopard: I think Apple has the solution for your problem now. Just now, I was pushed an update to my ac. It's labeled as a Leopard Graphics update and the description says:
"Leopard Graphics Update is recommended for all users and improves the stability and compatibility of your Mac. This update requires Mac OS X 10.5.2."
Stability! Hooray! Actually, I've never had a problem, but I'm on a 1st-gen Macbook Pro.
Keep up the good work BOLrs (Web 2.0 style), 
Ryan the 14-year-old sysadmin (who actually runs a Web site now)
===BOL in Firefox demo page===
Hey,
Just something kind of cool thought you guys might be interested to know. BOL is featured in the Firefox 3 Beta Walkthrough where they are talking about how it handles media in RSS feeds. :)
Murray Storm
===Molly is an M$ fangirl===
I really enjoy your podcast, but Molly is too much a M$ fangirl for her own good. This M$/Yahoo deal has as much chance as getting through the EU antitrust people as a snowball does in the hot place. And even if it did get through it strikes me as being about as sensible as the No. 2 and No. 3 men in a three-man race tying two of their legs together and thinking that they will win. Take a look at the Time Warner/AOL merger.
Glad to hear that she is dropping Vista. XP is much nicer, but Leopard is nicer still (as long as you don't have an ATI iMac that is!).
Brian
===The Democratic primaries vs. the format war?===
Hey guys, 
I just had to point out the strange similarities between the high-def format war and the high-profile "war" in the Democratic primaries. Check this out:
They've got the same initials! It's H. vs. B.!
It's all really an embarrassment of riches.
There are no significant differences in policy/features between H. and B.
H. appeals to people with less money, but B. has won the support of a broad constituency of high-profile names.
H. has name recognition and might seem like an extension of what we've had in the past, whereas B. is a "fresh face", a new (kinda funny sounding--but catchy!) name on the scene. 
At this date and time, it looks pretty rough out there for H., as B. is riding a wave of momentum.
There are probably more amusing comparissons out there but it's 3 a.m. and I should go back to sleep,
Cheers,
Abby from Brooklyn
Disclaimer:
This is not meant to be an endorsement of either H. or B. Just wanted to point out this funny confluence!