[00:04.620 --> 00:07.040]  And that will do it for today's newscast.
[00:07.360 --> 00:11.480]  From Pacifica Station, KPFK, in Los Angeles, I'm Laura Bogado.
[00:33.040 --> 00:35.420]  And you're listening to Radio Station WBAI New York.
[00:35.600 --> 00:36.960]  The time is 7.01.
[00:37.560 --> 00:38.820]  Time for Off the Hook.
[00:39.840 --> 00:40.260]  Really.
[00:56.060 --> 00:56.760]  Much worse.
[00:57.260 --> 01:00.320]  From Billy Bump.
[01:00.420 --> 01:02.200]  But I'll best expect the worst.
[01:02.960 --> 01:04.720]  I hope that's understood.
[01:04.900 --> 01:05.760]  From Billy Bump.
[02:32.050 --> 02:34.130]  And giving me started by the program is Off the Hook.
[02:34.230 --> 02:36.690]  Emmanuel Gelson here with you on this Wednesday evening.
[02:37.390 --> 02:42.190]  Joined tonight by... hmm... where shall I start?
[02:42.350 --> 02:42.810]  Dot Red.
[02:43.310 --> 02:44.130]  Good evening.
[02:44.210 --> 02:44.490]  How you doing?
[02:44.910 --> 02:45.390]  Bernie S.
[02:45.450 --> 02:45.910]  Down, Philadelphia.
[02:46.430 --> 02:47.390]  Greetings from Philadelphia.
[02:47.670 --> 02:48.770]  Jim, up here in New York.
[02:49.090 --> 02:49.270]  Hello.
[02:50.010 --> 02:50.490]  Voltaire.
[02:50.930 --> 02:51.110]  Hello.
[02:51.290 --> 02:51.590]  Mike.
[02:52.030 --> 02:52.470]  Hi there.
[02:52.650 --> 02:54.210]  And the return of Not Kevin.
[02:54.490 --> 02:54.830]  Hello.
[02:55.090 --> 02:59.710]  Now, you've been away because you've been starring in a Broadway play or something like that?
[02:59.810 --> 03:00.730]  Off, Off Broadway.
[03:01.310 --> 03:03.730]  Off... did you stutter or did you mean to say Off, Off Broadway?
[03:04.330 --> 03:06.090]  No, it's actually called Off, Off Broadway.
[03:06.250 --> 03:06.530]  It is.
[03:06.570 --> 03:06.770]  Okay.
[03:07.410 --> 03:07.590]  All right.
[03:07.650 --> 03:08.450]  Not quite sure I understand that.
[03:08.530 --> 03:11.590]  But you were in Surrender, the program that we were talking about over the...
[03:11.590 --> 03:11.830]  Yes, I was.
[03:11.970 --> 03:13.050]  ...over the radio waves weeks ago.
[03:13.530 --> 03:14.310]  And what?
[03:14.430 --> 03:15.490]  Has the run finished?
[03:15.670 --> 03:17.630]  The run has unfortunately finished, yes.
[03:17.750 --> 03:17.910]  Really?
[03:18.070 --> 03:19.450]  But my hair still hasn't grown back.
[03:19.670 --> 03:21.330]  Now, yeah, I was going to point that out.
[03:21.330 --> 03:22.690]  You cut your hair?
[03:22.890 --> 03:24.870]  I was buzzed on stage.
[03:25.450 --> 03:25.850]  Okay.
[03:25.910 --> 03:26.570]  Well, that's not unusual.
[03:26.770 --> 03:29.270]  But you mean... Oh, you mean on stage they cut your hair?
[03:29.650 --> 03:31.150]  Well, they couldn't do that every week, could they?
[03:31.210 --> 03:32.050]  Or every day?
[03:32.570 --> 03:34.570]  They tried, but it started hurting after a while.
[03:34.790 --> 03:35.030]  Uh-huh.
[03:35.750 --> 03:36.130]  Okay.
[03:36.490 --> 03:37.390]  Well, that's interesting.
[03:38.470 --> 03:40.150]  So, tell us about what it was like.
[03:40.350 --> 03:43.410]  You were basically appearing before all these people day after day?
[03:44.050 --> 03:44.930]  Pretty much, yeah.
[03:45.050 --> 03:46.030]  Last almost month, right?
[03:46.130 --> 03:47.530]  About... It was about a three-week run.
[03:47.670 --> 03:47.890]  Uh-huh.
[03:48.270 --> 03:49.870]  So, yeah.
[03:50.190 --> 03:53.270]  And we talked about this on the air, I think, on New Year's, the New Year's show.
[03:53.430 --> 04:03.630]  We discussed this is the show where you basically, I guess, get all these people that are attending to become indoctrinated into the military and invade Iraq.
[04:04.270 --> 04:07.410]  It sounds horrible, but it's actually a very educational experience.
[04:07.590 --> 04:08.510]  It is quite educational.
[04:08.730 --> 04:13.770]  It's a very eye-opening kind of life experience that I think would benefit a lot of people.
[04:14.010 --> 04:14.930]  In what way, though?
[04:15.850 --> 04:18.670]  It's... The play itself was very, very neutral.
[04:18.890 --> 04:19.510]  It wasn't pro-war.
[04:19.630 --> 04:20.450]  It wasn't anti-war.
[04:20.610 --> 04:24.950]  It was kind of a glimpse into a soldier's life from boot camp to coming home.
[04:25.090 --> 04:25.350]  Uh-huh.
[04:25.590 --> 04:26.130]  And I think...
[04:26.130 --> 04:27.210]  And the audience got to play the soldiers.
[04:27.390 --> 04:28.330]  The audience played the soldiers.
[04:29.410 --> 04:37.530]  And I think it's a very, very beneficial thing is we're such... at least here in New York, we're so anti-war, but we don't really know what we're protesting.
[04:38.050 --> 04:38.410]  Uh-huh.
[04:38.410 --> 04:39.950]  Oh, Red Hack, nice of you to join us today.
[04:40.210 --> 04:40.450]  Hello.
[04:40.650 --> 04:40.970]  How you doing?
[04:41.650 --> 04:43.450]  Find a chair and pull... what do you got?
[04:43.570 --> 04:44.090]  Food there?
[04:44.270 --> 04:44.510]  Yeah.
[04:44.750 --> 04:45.750]  Why do you have food there?
[04:45.990 --> 04:46.590]  Is that for me?
[04:46.730 --> 04:46.870]  Yeah.
[04:47.570 --> 04:48.070]  You brought me food.
[04:48.070 --> 04:48.850]  I knew I'd be late.
[04:49.050 --> 04:50.950]  So you brought me food thinking that would...
[04:50.950 --> 04:51.590]  It's homemade.
[04:51.870 --> 04:52.210]  It's homemade.
[04:52.330 --> 04:53.630]  Okay, well, we'll talk about this later.
[04:54.410 --> 04:58.310]  Now, Kevin is just discussing his return to civilian life after starring in a...
[04:58.310 --> 04:59.850]  in surrender for the last few weeks.
[05:00.890 --> 05:05.030]  So is it hard to acclimate back to society after being off off-Broadway?
[05:05.450 --> 05:06.330]  A little bit, yeah.
[05:06.490 --> 05:14.790]  I find myself walking in straight lines and if I'm standing, I'm standing in a position of attention or cursing a lot.
[05:14.910 --> 05:16.210]  Well, don't do that on the air, please.
[05:16.310 --> 05:17.250]  I'm trying not to.
[05:17.350 --> 05:17.870]  All right, well, good.
[05:17.870 --> 05:19.650]  That's why you've got your fish clenched.
[05:20.330 --> 05:20.470]  Yeah, I'm clenched right now.
[05:20.470 --> 05:21.170]  I was wondering about that.
[05:21.870 --> 05:22.970]  And I understand.
[05:23.070 --> 05:23.930]  So surrender is done.
[05:24.130 --> 05:25.450]  Is there a possibility it might come back?
[05:25.630 --> 05:26.870]  There is a possibility it might come back.
[05:26.970 --> 05:27.170]  Okay.
[05:27.350 --> 05:28.970]  There's a possibility we actually might tour her up.
[05:28.970 --> 05:32.550]  And I understand Josh Fox, the co-producer?
[05:32.750 --> 05:34.330]  Josh Fox, the director, is...
[05:34.330 --> 05:35.830]  He's opening a film tonight, in fact.
[05:35.890 --> 05:39.190]  Tonight, Memorial Day is premiering tonight at the IFC Center on West 4th.
[05:39.370 --> 05:45.870]  Okay, so if there's any way for people to get into there, if it's not sold out, they're having a Q&A, they're having a party, they're having all kinds of things.
[05:46.590 --> 05:50.650]  And that's Memorial Day taking place at the IFC Film Center on West 4th.
[05:50.690 --> 05:51.230]  On West 4th.
[05:51.290 --> 05:52.910]  Check out memorialdaythemovie.com.
[05:52.950 --> 05:54.210]  I know there's a 950 showing.
[05:54.530 --> 05:55.950]  Yes, that's the last one tonight.
[05:56.110 --> 05:56.670]  Okay, I don't know.
[05:56.990 --> 06:01.010]  If we told anybody about any other showing, they'd probably have to miss the show, so we're not going to do that.
[06:01.070 --> 06:01.670]  No, don't do that.
[06:01.810 --> 06:03.150]  Because we have a special show for you tonight.
[06:03.690 --> 06:04.270]  Yes, go ahead.
[06:04.310 --> 06:06.690]  But you can also see it on another day, or today only?
[06:06.870 --> 06:08.950]  It's running for nine days, so...
[06:08.950 --> 06:09.790]  So you can see it tomorrow.
[06:09.950 --> 06:10.930]  You can see it tomorrow or the next day.
[06:10.930 --> 06:12.810]  Will this be in other theaters, or just IFC Theater?
[06:12.970 --> 06:13.990]  For now, just the IFC.
[06:14.210 --> 06:14.470]  Okay.
[06:14.630 --> 06:25.170]  And we talked to Josh about this on the years, so if you want more information about that, go to the archives, www.2600.com slash off the hook, and learn about that film, Memorial Day.
[06:25.850 --> 06:27.170]  Also, another very interesting project.
[06:27.510 --> 06:34.890]  So we have all kinds of fun things going on, but I guess we should update people on various news items.
[06:35.030 --> 06:37.210]  I should point out also, this is a fundraising show.
[06:37.370 --> 06:44.850]  Yes, we're back with the Winter Fun Drive, which is very different from the Winter Emergency Drive that we had in December.
[06:45.270 --> 06:46.510]  Is that what the name of that was?
[06:46.590 --> 06:48.150]  Because it was in December, so that's winter.
[06:48.430 --> 06:49.430]  Or was it pre-winter?
[06:49.570 --> 06:50.350]  Maybe that was...
[06:50.350 --> 06:52.530]  No, that wasn't fall, because the fall one was in October.
[06:52.750 --> 06:53.630]  That was an emergency.
[06:53.870 --> 06:56.170]  It was just an emergency, so there's no season attached to the emergency.
[06:56.750 --> 06:58.290]  Emergencies can happen in any season.
[06:58.430 --> 06:58.730]  All right.
[06:58.730 --> 06:59.530]  Well, this is our...
[06:59.530 --> 07:00.230]  Emergency holiday season?
[07:00.370 --> 07:06.950]  Yeah, well, this is our regularly scheduled fundraiser, and we have some really interesting things to bring your way.
[07:07.230 --> 07:15.310]  Let me just start by saying, the number, for those of you who just want to get a jump on everything and call in, is 212-209-2950.
[07:16.370 --> 07:24.990]  And when you call that, a volunteer will pick up the phone and ask you what you want, and you'll tell them, hopefully, that you want to donate to the radio station.
[07:25.310 --> 07:27.050]  We take Visa, MasterCard, American Express.
[07:27.050 --> 07:27.730]  Do we take Discover?
[07:27.950 --> 07:29.510]  You know, I never really know the answer to that.
[07:29.670 --> 07:30.270]  I think we do.
[07:30.490 --> 07:30.810]  All right.
[07:30.870 --> 07:31.470]  Well, you can find out.
[07:31.530 --> 07:32.570]  That's one of the things you can find out.
[07:32.570 --> 07:32.990]  We'll take it, anyway.
[07:33.090 --> 07:34.090]  Yeah, call that number and ask them.
[07:34.770 --> 07:38.970]  And we're offering a couple of premiums, one for $25 and above.
[07:39.150 --> 07:40.390]  Everybody pledges that amount.
[07:40.450 --> 07:43.010]  No matter what you get beyond that, you'll get an off-the-hook t-shirt.
[07:43.250 --> 07:44.750]  So there's that.
[07:46.270 --> 07:51.050]  And for a $75 pledge, we're going to get into this in just a little bit.
[07:51.050 --> 07:53.810]  But we have a special premium.
[07:54.450 --> 07:58.850]  We have assembled, all assembled, pre-manufactured, everything like that.
[07:58.950 --> 08:02.110]  We have brain machines that we actually gave these away about a year ago.
[08:02.190 --> 08:04.370]  But these ones are manufactured professionally.
[08:04.810 --> 08:07.050]  So it's the next generation of brain machines.
[08:07.110 --> 08:10.150]  We're going to have Mitch Altman on in just a little bit to talk about these.
[08:10.150 --> 08:16.950]  But those of you who want to get a jump on the fundraiser and pledge for these things, call now, 212-209-2950.
[08:17.130 --> 08:22.350]  What we're going to try and do this fundraiser throughout the month of February, we're on for four weeks, and the fundraiser goes for four weeks.
[08:22.470 --> 08:28.150]  Every week, we're going to offer something different, which means the brain machines won't be here next week, the week after that, or the week after that.
[08:28.230 --> 08:31.110]  So every week is going to be different.
[08:31.210 --> 08:35.170]  The idea, I think, is to get people who really like what we're offering to pledge four times.
[08:36.310 --> 08:44.270]  Because those people who can afford to pledge four times can make up for all the people that are out of work and losing their homes and everything like that.
[08:44.370 --> 08:45.410]  And we don't expect them to pledge.
[08:45.530 --> 08:46.150]  Yes, go ahead, Radak.
[08:46.250 --> 08:53.450]  I don't expect any Wall Street bigwigs to pledge because soon their salary is going to be limited to $500,000.
[08:53.770 --> 08:55.330]  That's not nearly enough.
[08:55.430 --> 08:58.930]  They're still kind of, I guess, rebellious.
[08:59.090 --> 09:01.570]  I mean, I saw a money fight downstairs in the street.
[09:02.550 --> 09:03.750]  They're still throwing it around.
[09:03.750 --> 09:06.770]  So I think they're out there and hopefully they'll call as well.
[09:07.170 --> 09:08.530]  And maybe they won't feel as guilty.
[09:08.650 --> 09:09.950]  212-209-2950.
[09:11.570 --> 09:12.310]  Let's see.
[09:13.290 --> 09:15.550]  We have a lot of feedback.
[09:15.730 --> 09:20.550]  I'd like to sort of get to some feedback tonight and update people on various stories as well.
[09:21.970 --> 09:22.750]  Let's see.
[09:24.390 --> 09:25.610]  Where should I start?
[09:25.890 --> 09:26.190]  Okay.
[09:26.370 --> 09:30.970]  First of all, people wrote in to let us know that you can watch The Prisoner.
[09:31.090 --> 09:35.530]  Remember, we talked about the death of Patrick McGowan a couple of weeks ago, The Star of the Prisoner.
[09:35.570 --> 09:45.830]  You can watch The Prisoner for free on the internet, www.amctv.com slash videos slash The Prisoner 1960s video.
[09:46.130 --> 09:49.990]  Well, actually, this hyphen's there and 1960s is spelled with numbers.
[09:50.290 --> 09:53.950]  But I think if you just go to amctv.com, you'll find The Prisoner.
[09:54.030 --> 10:00.050]  And that is the network that actually is going to be running the new Prisoner, which I think debuts later this year.
[10:00.150 --> 10:03.730]  So they're just doing this as kind of a promotional stunt.
[10:03.830 --> 10:05.610]  Thanks, Bobby, for sending in that information.
[10:05.790 --> 10:07.450]  Watch The Prisoner for free on the internet.
[10:07.690 --> 10:12.210]  You know, I love how it used to be this horrible thing if you could get video on the internet.
[10:12.370 --> 10:13.510]  Same thing with music, right?
[10:13.850 --> 10:15.870]  Napster, oh my god, they're stealing our music.
[10:16.270 --> 10:25.810]  And for a long time, these record and movie companies went after pirates until suddenly they realized, oh, wait a minute, maybe people want this.
[10:26.050 --> 10:28.530]  So now you can buy music online.
[10:28.730 --> 10:30.370]  You can watch videos online.
[10:30.610 --> 10:33.610]  And people don't mind throwing in an advertisement here and there.
[10:33.810 --> 10:34.650]  Okay, fine.
[10:34.670 --> 10:38.070]  It's just like watching TV, except now it's on my schedule.
[10:38.290 --> 10:40.910]  And I think that was a big thing that people would do before.
[10:41.470 --> 10:46.230]  If I downloaded a TV show back in the day, it wasn't because I couldn't watch it on TV.
[10:46.230 --> 10:48.070]  It was because I'd missed it.
[10:49.010 --> 10:57.430]  And so it's nice to see finally this adoption of the internet as this medium of people consume media.
[10:57.830 --> 11:03.810]  You know, you can speak for yourself, but I happen to mind advertisements very much, and which is why I'm glad we don't have them on WBAI.
[11:04.470 --> 11:05.850]  No, we just have these annoying pledge drives.
[11:06.010 --> 11:07.290]  I said it before the listeners did.
[11:08.470 --> 11:11.290]  But that's why we don't have commercials, because we have the pledge drives.
[11:11.410 --> 11:16.050]  So if you want to see us continue not to have commercials and continue to exist and have programs like this, you better call.
[11:16.230 --> 11:17.570]  212-209-2950.
[11:17.750 --> 11:19.270]  We have some really good things here tonight.
[11:19.470 --> 11:21.490]  So I'd like to see those phone lines lit up.
[11:21.690 --> 11:23.030]  212-209-2950.
[11:23.190 --> 11:25.830]  And if you want fewer of these annoying pledge drives, then pledge a lot.
[11:26.410 --> 11:28.590]  Yeah, that would do it too, I would imagine.
[11:28.790 --> 11:29.470]  Here's another letter.
[11:29.650 --> 11:30.810]  Dear guys, I love the show.
[11:30.990 --> 11:32.650]  I look forward to listening to it every week.
[11:32.710 --> 11:36.950]  But I can't help but notice that the segment.gov of the week has been absent for several weeks now.
[11:36.970 --> 11:40.010]  I do hope this is a mistake, because I, for one, love that segment.
[11:40.750 --> 11:42.470]  Well, actually, it's not a mistake.
[11:42.650 --> 11:43.930]  That feature is on hiatus.
[11:44.350 --> 11:47.630]  And I know that's the death knell in network TV terms, but we're not network TV.
[11:47.770 --> 11:50.470]  So basically, what that means is, we've just been very busy with other things.
[11:50.490 --> 11:51.650]  We've had special features.
[11:51.790 --> 11:52.990]  And now, of course, we have the fundraiser.
[11:53.430 --> 11:55.030]  It takes time to prepare these things.
[11:55.330 --> 11:58.970]  So .gov, you know, it's good to see letters coming in, people wanting features.
[11:59.330 --> 12:04.570]  And the ratings were up during that period, that two-minute period where it was on, or the 20-minute period the other week where it was on.
[12:05.310 --> 12:06.510]  So it will be back.
[12:07.930 --> 12:14.490]  And Marcel is suggesting that we check out the newly designed whitehouse.gov even has a blog now.
[12:15.170 --> 12:21.670]  So if you have a .gov site you'd like us to focus on, by all means, we will be happy to do that as well.
[12:22.610 --> 12:23.170]  Yes, Mike?
[12:23.310 --> 12:24.990]  You realize you just mentioned a .gov site.
[12:25.090 --> 12:28.870]  If you played the theme song, we could have done the segment this week instead of lamenting its absence.
[12:28.990 --> 12:29.270]  I know.
[12:29.390 --> 12:30.970]  But we wouldn't have done it justice.
[12:31.310 --> 12:39.110]  You know, if we're going to do whitehouse.gov, we really have to take a tour through whitehouse.gov and maybe play some of the audio files that I'm sure exist down there and find hidden things as well.
[12:40.290 --> 12:40.890]  All right.
[12:41.330 --> 12:43.570]  Bernie, anything new with you down there in Philadelphia?
[12:44.770 --> 12:54.210]  Well, nothing specifically here in Philadelphia, but a topic near and dear to my heart and many others is the whole thing we're tired of hearing the digital television.
[12:54.430 --> 12:55.990]  All right, Bernie, I'm getting to that.
[12:56.150 --> 12:56.810]  I'm getting to that.
[12:56.930 --> 12:58.010]  It's not jump the gun.
[12:58.170 --> 12:59.490]  I've got a whole list of things here.
[12:59.630 --> 13:01.010]  I just didn't want to jump into that right away.
[13:01.930 --> 13:06.630]  But yeah, anything else besides the digital TV thing that you like to talk about?
[13:06.950 --> 13:09.630]  Well, to follow up on our last week's show, we were talking about...
[13:09.630 --> 13:10.850]  Actually, I was going to get to that too.
[13:11.010 --> 13:12.250]  How about do you have anything new?
[13:12.670 --> 13:17.170]  Because I've got a whole list of feedback things from last week and the week before that.
[13:17.450 --> 13:20.390]  Something we've been talking about, net neutrality for a long time.
[13:20.470 --> 13:20.610]  Okay.
[13:20.750 --> 13:31.890]  And it's been difficult for people to find out whether their ISP is really net neutral as far as their types of packets and the speed that they're routing into their computer.
[13:33.150 --> 13:43.630]  They're offering a tool called MLAB, I think, which allows any individual to really see if their ISP is slowing down or blocking certain types of packets, which is a good thing.
[13:44.830 --> 13:46.070]  It is a good thing, yes.
[13:47.810 --> 13:49.930]  And more information on that can be found where?
[13:50.390 --> 13:55.890]  Just go to google.com and look for MLAB and you'll be able to find how to use this tool, which is free.
[13:56.090 --> 13:59.830]  And it really is a way of ratting out ISPs who are doing sneaky things.
[13:59.830 --> 14:01.090]  And have any been ratted out yet?
[14:02.490 --> 14:04.570]  I haven't checked my own yet, but I should.
[14:04.870 --> 14:05.810]  Okay, yeah, definitely should.
[14:05.990 --> 14:07.470]  I understand Mitch is joining us.
[14:07.510 --> 14:08.770]  Mitch Altman, are you on the line?
[14:09.110 --> 14:09.910]  I am indeed.
[14:10.190 --> 14:12.550]  All right, you're joining us tonight from California, I believe.
[14:12.830 --> 14:14.810]  Yeah, I'm actually home for one.
[14:15.090 --> 14:16.250]  Wow, that is unusual.
[14:16.250 --> 14:19.670]  You were traveling all around the world, it seemed, for all of 2008.
[14:19.670 --> 14:19.710]  Great.
[14:20.530 --> 14:27.650]  But now you're back, and you're actually the inventor of the device that we have here in the studio right now.
[14:28.030 --> 14:29.030]  Who's going to try it on?
[14:29.130 --> 14:30.230]  Volta, are you actually going to try this?
[14:30.430 --> 14:30.630]  Indeed.
[14:30.930 --> 14:36.390]  Okay, he's holding an old version of the brain machine, the one that we built ourselves.
[14:36.750 --> 14:47.610]  But what we're offering here tonight as part of our fundraiser is pre-manufactured, prefab brain machines that will come to you, I guess, in a special box or something like that.
[14:48.010 --> 14:51.210]  And for a pledge of $75, those will be yours.
[14:52.290 --> 14:54.730]  Anything new and different about these brain machines otherwise?
[14:55.290 --> 15:00.830]  Yeah, well, you know, the brain machine was a do-it-yourself project that I wrote up for Make Magazine.
[15:01.210 --> 15:07.830]  I wanted to have an intriguing project that could get people who've never made anything ever in their life to actually make something cool.
[15:07.830 --> 15:18.510]  And so I made something to help people meditate and have fun while hallucinating really beautiful colors and patterns because it sort of induces that.
[15:18.670 --> 15:21.970]  And it turns out that people really, really like hallucinating.
[15:22.370 --> 15:26.070]  So about 10,000 people actually made these things.
[15:26.570 --> 15:31.310]  You guys did a pretty good percentage of those 10,000 on a pledge drive a while back.
[15:31.430 --> 15:32.310]  Oh, yeah, I remember that.
[15:32.350 --> 15:32.790]  That was fun.
[15:32.810 --> 15:35.450]  We spent the whole weekend making the things for the people.
[15:35.450 --> 15:39.490]  And we don't have to do that this time because somebody else is making them or some company is making them someplace.
[15:39.690 --> 15:42.510]  And now we can offer them to our listeners.
[15:42.670 --> 15:46.190]  But only tonight, only for this hour, 212-209-2950.
[15:46.550 --> 15:49.170]  Now, Voltaire, you're going to actually put this thing on.
[15:49.570 --> 15:50.070]  All right.
[15:50.250 --> 15:53.490]  So, Mitch, any instructions for what he should be doing?
[15:53.810 --> 15:54.170]  Yeah.
[15:54.310 --> 15:56.510]  So you just relax and have your eyes closed.
[15:56.510 --> 15:57.970]  It won't hurt your eyes if they're open.
[15:58.010 --> 15:59.910]  It just doesn't work well if you're with your eyes open.
[16:00.150 --> 16:00.470]  Okay.
[16:01.110 --> 16:01.590]  All right.
[16:01.850 --> 16:03.890]  And he's putting the glasses on now.
[16:03.890 --> 16:06.810]  It looks really spacey and psychedelic.
[16:08.050 --> 16:08.530]  All right.
[16:08.630 --> 16:12.630]  And you have to put those headphones on, too, which means you can't have our headphones on.
[16:12.750 --> 16:16.310]  So basically, you're going to be sort of detached from the rest of us.
[16:16.550 --> 16:17.050]  All right.
[16:17.130 --> 16:18.470]  And then you throw that little switch.
[16:18.550 --> 16:20.790]  Anybody see the little switch on the side there that you have to throw?
[16:21.010 --> 16:21.190]  Okay.
[16:21.270 --> 16:22.110]  Now you throw that on.
[16:23.370 --> 16:24.090]  And okay.
[16:24.170 --> 16:25.750]  And now the lights are flashing rapidly.
[16:25.750 --> 16:27.010]  And he should just relax, right?
[16:27.470 --> 16:27.830]  Yeah.
[16:27.830 --> 16:32.970]  So if he's not one of the people who hate it, he'll actually like it.
[16:33.210 --> 16:34.870]  And most people really love it.
[16:35.010 --> 16:38.410]  So see what you think, feel, you know, trip out.
[16:38.670 --> 16:39.010]  Have fun.
[16:39.110 --> 16:39.350]  Okay.
[16:39.350 --> 16:40.050]  He can't hear you.
[16:40.210 --> 16:40.510]  Yeah.
[16:40.550 --> 16:42.310]  He can't hear Mitch, but he can hear us.
[16:42.430 --> 16:49.770]  And I guess we should be telling him to just tell us if anything comes into his mind or something like that.
[16:49.890 --> 16:51.150]  Why are you disassembling it?
[16:51.250 --> 16:51.630]  Are you...
[16:51.630 --> 16:52.870]  I'm putting on my better headphones.
[16:53.130 --> 16:53.770]  Put on better headphones.
[16:53.830 --> 16:54.170]  Oh, okay.
[16:54.490 --> 16:54.970]  All right.
[16:55.030 --> 16:56.530]  Well, those are the cheap ones that we had.
[16:56.650 --> 16:57.190]  But all right.
[16:57.250 --> 16:58.070]  Put on better headphones.
[16:58.590 --> 17:03.250]  And we'll check in with you occasionally as you go through time and space and whatever else.
[17:03.510 --> 17:04.050]  Hey, Mitch.
[17:04.290 --> 17:04.510]  Yeah.
[17:05.250 --> 17:06.310]  Mitch, greetings.
[17:06.510 --> 17:07.370]  I just wanted to ask you.
[17:07.690 --> 17:12.630]  We've talked a lot on this show about people using cell phones, hands-free and otherwise, while driving.
[17:13.030 --> 17:18.370]  You wouldn't recommend actually wearing these goggles while driving for a more relaxing drive, would you?
[17:18.370 --> 17:24.370]  I would not recommend using these things while operating heavy machinery, including an automobile.
[17:25.050 --> 17:28.210]  For one thing, they're covering your eyes and your eyes are closed.
[17:28.490 --> 17:31.750]  So that's always a bad thing to do while driving.
[17:32.170 --> 17:32.890]  Yeah, yeah.
[17:33.070 --> 17:33.930]  I would say so as well.
[17:34.290 --> 17:42.910]  So listeners are advised to do not wear the brain machine or use it while driving an automobile or operating heavy machinery.
[17:42.930 --> 17:44.230]  Heavy machinery, even light machinery.
[17:44.410 --> 17:47.370]  I don't know if that would be advisable, flying airplanes, things like that.
[17:47.370 --> 17:50.130]  I would advise to just sit and relax.
[17:50.530 --> 17:51.430]  I've actually used it.
[17:51.590 --> 17:53.250]  It's really... I'm sure everyone...
[17:53.250 --> 17:53.730]  Look at Voltaire.
[17:53.890 --> 17:54.650]  He's totally relaxing.
[17:54.870 --> 17:57.250]  He's completely... I've never seen him quite like this.
[17:57.390 --> 17:58.770]  And it's good, I think.
[17:58.870 --> 18:00.030]  It's good for everybody to do this.
[18:00.170 --> 18:03.950]  I would say even walking down the street while wearing this is probably not the best idea.
[18:04.190 --> 18:11.290]  No, but standing, leaning against, say, a wall or something on the street would definitely attract attention and probably get a line if people wanted to try it.
[18:11.470 --> 18:16.570]  I've had these, showed them to people in cafes and restaurants, and pretty soon everyone's looking.
[18:16.570 --> 18:24.430]  You know, because you look at Voltaire, you haven't described it, but he's got these totally trippy things on, and these bright red lights are flashing and poking out into the world.
[18:24.850 --> 18:27.930]  And everyone looks at that and goes, what the hay is going on here?
[18:27.950 --> 18:29.330]  And, of course, then they want to try it.
[18:29.470 --> 18:33.030]  So it's really a fun thing to do at cafes, parties, restaurants, whatever.
[18:33.290 --> 18:43.010]  Now, what we're offering folks here tonight, this is really an unprecedented offer because these are already manufactured and professionally done, not made by us.
[18:43.490 --> 18:45.790]  And they are guaranteed to work.
[18:45.790 --> 18:48.070]  This is... you can be a part of this.
[18:48.190 --> 18:49.170]  It's completely legal.
[18:49.370 --> 18:50.530]  It's a lot of fun.
[18:50.830 --> 18:58.730]  It's something that you can share with your friends for many, many occasions and just basically, I guess, become more in tune with yourself.
[18:58.890 --> 19:03.670]  But you've got to call within the next hour, actually within the next 40 minutes, 212-209-2950.
[19:03.690 --> 19:04.850]  There's one call on the line.
[19:04.930 --> 19:10.130]  Pledge of $75 gets you not only the brain machine, but gets you an off-the-hook t-shirt.
[19:10.890 --> 19:13.050]  So those two things come your way for a pledge of $75.
[19:13.310 --> 19:16.670]  For a pledge of $25 and above, you'll get the off-the-hook t-shirt as well.
[19:16.970 --> 19:21.730]  Mitch, can you explain a little bit of the theory behind how it's operating or what it's doing?
[19:21.730 --> 19:22.530]  Yeah.
[19:22.930 --> 19:30.450]  So the idea behind it is your brain is communicating with various parts of itself with brainwave frequencies.
[19:30.450 --> 19:32.450]  And those frequencies can be measured.
[19:32.930 --> 19:36.230]  And people have been measuring these things since the 1920s.
[19:36.230 --> 19:38.790]  And there's been a lot of research along this way.
[19:39.690 --> 19:46.210]  Even way back in the 1920s, they decided, well, what would happen if you present a brain these frequencies externally?
[19:46.350 --> 19:48.990]  We've got four calls on the line in one second there.
[19:49.110 --> 19:50.470]  It's 212-209-2950.
[19:50.690 --> 19:54.590]  If the phone lines keep ringing, just keep trying, because we have a limited number of volunteers.
[19:54.730 --> 19:55.950]  212-209-2950.
[19:56.050 --> 19:56.430]  Go ahead, Mitch.
[19:56.930 --> 19:57.210]  Yeah.
[19:57.350 --> 20:04.050]  So if you present these frequencies externally, it turns out your brain synchronizes it the same as if they're communicating internally.
[20:04.730 --> 20:15.690]  So what I have done is simplified the model and present these frequencies of a meditation sequence through pulsing light and sound.
[20:16.270 --> 20:20.210]  And your brain synchronizes to it, and then you go into a really nice meditative state.
[20:21.170 --> 20:21.750]  Very nice.
[20:21.830 --> 20:23.050]  And that's where Valtteri is right now.
[20:23.150 --> 20:23.450]  Look at him.
[20:23.570 --> 20:25.510]  He's completely at peace.
[20:25.670 --> 20:26.850]  So nice to see him.
[20:26.910 --> 20:27.570]  Because usually he's not.
[20:27.590 --> 20:28.510]  Usually he's not at peace at all.
[20:28.590 --> 20:30.970]  And now it's, yeah, he can finally rest.
[20:31.170 --> 20:33.050]  And we could totally steal his stuff or something.
[20:33.050 --> 20:34.090]  We could steal his stuff.
[20:34.330 --> 20:35.390]  We could do all kinds of things.
[20:35.670 --> 20:45.650]  But, Mitch, I happen to see, because you showed it to me while we were in Berlin, a prototype of what we're giving people as a thank you tonight.
[20:45.850 --> 20:48.270]  And it's really, it's a well-put-together product.
[20:48.270 --> 20:49.410]  You could give it to a child.
[20:49.550 --> 20:50.290]  They won't break it.
[20:50.430 --> 20:54.610]  They'll just, like, be, they'll have their mind enhanced for life.
[20:55.970 --> 20:57.570]  It's a solid product.
[20:57.570 --> 21:01.950]  It's something that you could show at parties, and people won't be like, where'd you get that?
[21:02.790 --> 21:04.210]  Not like the stuff that we make.
[21:04.710 --> 21:06.310]  It's really, it's a nice product.
[21:06.590 --> 21:08.750]  And it expands your mind.
[21:08.910 --> 21:10.850]  I mean, between those two factors, I don't know.
[21:10.850 --> 21:12.330]  So, yeah, it's really fun.
[21:12.530 --> 21:16.230]  And you get to hallucinate like crazy, which most people seem to really like.
[21:16.690 --> 21:24.270]  And, yeah, since the Brain Machine Project was so popular, I thought people who really don't want to build something could benefit by it, too.
[21:24.270 --> 21:29.070]  So, I'm calling the manufactured ones that I'm having made, trip glasses.
[21:29.490 --> 21:30.050]  Trip glasses.
[21:30.510 --> 21:30.910]  Okay.
[21:31.490 --> 21:31.930]  Very nice.
[21:32.090 --> 21:34.970]  Now, Mike mentioned a child could operate.
[21:35.070 --> 21:37.490]  Would you recommend children put on brain machines?
[21:37.630 --> 21:38.230]  Oh, kids love these things.
[21:38.270 --> 21:38.530]  Really?
[21:38.590 --> 21:39.430]  They're fantastic.
[21:39.670 --> 21:39.830]  Yeah.
[21:40.430 --> 21:45.310]  You've got to make sure you have more than one if there's a group of kids, though, because they'll hurt each other trying to get it.
[21:46.270 --> 21:47.870]  That's not in the spirit of the brain machine.
[21:48.350 --> 21:52.830]  No, but, you know, little kids, you know, but they love it.
[21:52.830 --> 21:58.830]  So, little kids wear these trippy glasses and have, like, sort of hallucinations and things like that.
[21:58.850 --> 22:00.750]  It must be something to behold.
[22:01.030 --> 22:13.370]  Yeah, check out... I have a whole bunch of pictures on my Flickr site showing thousands of people wearing the brain machine, and a lot of them are little kids, and the little kids, the smiles on their faces are so beaming.
[22:13.370 --> 22:14.130]  It's really cute.
[22:14.310 --> 22:17.210]  Would you recommend world leaders try the brain machine?
[22:17.550 --> 22:21.890]  Well, you know, I think our world could use a little bit more introspection.
[22:22.830 --> 22:24.490]  It's kind of a nice thing.
[22:24.490 --> 22:26.390]  Anyone out there, just give it a try.
[22:26.390 --> 22:27.570]  See if you like it.
[22:27.690 --> 22:30.010]  And that's one of my motivations for doing the brain machine.
[22:30.210 --> 22:35.910]  And, you know, people running big countries and corporations, I think, need a lot more introspection.
[22:36.270 --> 22:40.010]  And, you know, they don't necessarily give themselves enough time to do it.
[22:40.010 --> 22:43.790]  And if they can have fun hallucinating while doing it, all the better.
[22:43.790 --> 22:44.210]  All right.
[22:44.310 --> 22:47.810]  So, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, please try the brain machine.
[22:47.850 --> 22:51.850]  It might change things for you a lot, and change the world for everybody else.
[22:51.990 --> 22:53.390]  212-209-2950.
[22:53.550 --> 22:56.810]  I have a whole bunch of calls on the line right now, so it's possible the phone might ring a bit.
[22:56.930 --> 22:57.890]  You might get disconnected.
[22:57.890 --> 23:04.310]  Call back, and the brain machine will be yours, as long as you pledge $75 before 8 o'clock Eastern time.
[23:04.310 --> 23:17.410]  Yeah, and I'll say also, you folks out there who are pledging to WBAI and off the hook, you are the first people in the whole world who are going to be getting the manufactured trip classes.
[23:18.170 --> 23:22.790]  So, people on Wall Street who just had their salaries limited to only half a million dollars per year...
[23:22.790 --> 23:23.930]  That sucks, doesn't it?
[23:23.970 --> 23:31.710]  And maybe they're looking for something to fill their days now that they can no longer afford, you know, like bathing in diamonds or something.
[23:31.710 --> 23:34.970]  What kind of socialistic regime are we entering into where people can't do that anymore?
[23:35.210 --> 23:52.750]  So, if they pledge $75, which is not that big a percentage of half a million dollars, not only will they get the trip classes to fill their days, they'll also keep WBAI on the air, telling them how stupid their way of life was before they had their salaries cut.
[23:53.150 --> 23:54.910]  So, it's really a good deal.
[23:55.030 --> 23:55.090]  Is that what we do?
[23:55.170 --> 23:55.610]  That's what we do.
[23:55.730 --> 23:55.870]  Okay.
[23:56.730 --> 23:57.190]  Not Kevin.
[23:57.470 --> 24:04.750]  I'm an insomniac, so I have a very hard time sleeping, and I found that the brain machine glasses actually help me fall asleep.
[24:05.270 --> 24:05.850]  Uh-huh.
[24:06.130 --> 24:06.610]  Well, that's good.
[24:06.830 --> 24:09.730]  Is that one of the side effects or intended effects, Mitch?
[24:10.010 --> 24:11.650]  Yeah, they're very relaxing.
[24:11.650 --> 24:15.470]  When you meditate, it's really easy, if you want to, to slip off into sleep.
[24:16.270 --> 24:16.570]  Uh-huh.
[24:17.270 --> 24:17.750]  Interesting.
[24:18.030 --> 24:20.190]  Well, we certainly... Go ahead, Redhack.
[24:20.190 --> 24:28.930]  I think, yeah, when I first tried them, actually, I had that where I was kind of just relaxed, and I totally kind of lost myself in terms of I didn't...
[24:28.930 --> 24:30.830]  Not that I didn't... Well, it was like sleeping.
[24:30.990 --> 24:37.690]  It was like being put into kind of this dream state, but yet, you know, as soon as somebody shook me, then there I was.
[24:37.830 --> 24:38.990]  You know, I wasn't actually asleep.
[24:39.210 --> 24:41.830]  I was just kind of brought out of this dream state.
[24:42.490 --> 24:43.930]  It was kind of... It was really interesting.
[24:43.930 --> 24:46.010]  Ten calls all at once now.
[24:46.130 --> 24:48.450]  And we don't have anywhere near ten volunteers down there.
[24:48.570 --> 24:52.390]  So, for sure, if you're ringing the phone now, it's probably not going to get picked up right away.
[24:52.510 --> 24:53.750]  But please keep trying.
[24:53.750 --> 24:57.090]  We will honor everybody who calls in during this hour period.
[24:57.170 --> 24:58.210]  You know, I almost forgot about Voltaire.
[24:58.270 --> 25:01.810]  There he is over there, just sort of staring and kind of silent.
[25:02.730 --> 25:03.450]  And check.
[25:03.530 --> 25:04.370]  He's breathing, right?
[25:04.530 --> 25:05.130]  Just make sure.
[25:05.510 --> 25:06.250]  Okay, good.
[25:06.270 --> 25:07.190]  He seems very content.
[25:07.630 --> 25:09.750]  And that's something.
[25:09.890 --> 25:10.770]  That's really nice to know.
[25:11.270 --> 25:12.550]  212-209-2950.
[25:12.710 --> 25:13.210]  Pledge is $75.
[25:13.210 --> 25:14.850]  $75 gets you the brain machine.
[25:15.010 --> 25:16.510]  You'll be the first kid on the block to have one.
[25:16.950 --> 25:19.110]  $25 and above gets the off-the-hook t-shirt.
[25:19.210 --> 25:22.090]  You might not be the first kid on the block to have one of those, but they're still really cool.
[25:23.050 --> 25:28.410]  Okay, let's go back to some listener feedback, because we all love to hear from our listeners.
[25:28.510 --> 25:28.890]  We really do.
[25:28.990 --> 25:30.670]  O-T-H at 2600.com.
[25:30.950 --> 25:35.110]  I will be so glad when the Obama love-in is over and you guys get back to the regular format.
[25:35.270 --> 25:37.850]  Save this crap for off-the-wall, which can be heard on Tuesday nights.
[25:38.410 --> 25:40.190]  Obama has you guys so snowed.
[25:40.210 --> 25:41.830]  I have lost my faith in your objectivity.
[25:41.830 --> 25:46.290]  I wonder how you guys are going to feel when Obama suspends posse comitatus.
[25:46.350 --> 25:46.910]  Did I say that right?
[25:47.730 --> 25:49.730]  You have something to say on that, Dot Red?
[25:50.150 --> 25:50.830]  You perked up.
[25:50.870 --> 25:51.590]  You perked up at that.
[25:52.490 --> 25:55.330]  Well, at least there's one person in this room who doesn't love Obama.
[25:55.610 --> 25:55.930]  Okay.
[25:56.070 --> 25:57.550]  Well, yeah, I'm sure many people don't.
[25:57.550 --> 25:58.650]  No, I'm talking about us.
[25:58.850 --> 25:59.250]  I'm not...
[25:59.250 --> 26:00.130]  Well, here's the thing.
[26:00.350 --> 26:01.130]  He's criticizing us.
[26:01.190 --> 26:03.990]  He gives a link to a story that's got nothing to do with Obama.
[26:03.990 --> 26:05.110]  It's got to do with Bush.
[26:05.810 --> 26:14.030]  Somehow, I guess, he equated Obama not jumping up and strangling Bush when he did this, as him totally agreeing with it.
[26:14.230 --> 26:14.990]  But yeah, okay.
[26:15.050 --> 26:15.830]  So he's going to do that.
[26:16.250 --> 26:20.630]  He's going to put in China-style content filters and firewall and American internet connections.
[26:21.310 --> 26:22.810]  Yeah, you know, that's a bit of a reach.
[26:22.810 --> 26:36.350]  Bush, I know that his attorney general has expressed interest in regulating hate speech and things like that and various other things, which might be going a bit too far, but it's hardly going as far as what China does.
[26:36.490 --> 26:37.930]  So let's not exaggerate too much.
[26:38.650 --> 26:42.430]  And supports the deployment of a London-style surveillance grid in most major U.S.
[26:42.490 --> 26:44.570]  cities, and there's no attribution whatsoever given to that.
[26:44.850 --> 26:46.550]  So I guess that's just a theory.
[26:46.650 --> 26:47.690]  We're going to have that, though.
[26:47.850 --> 26:51.590]  We're going to have that, but it's not because Obama is saying that we're going to get it.
[26:51.730 --> 26:52.690]  We're going to have it in New York.
[26:52.690 --> 26:53.390]  The guy is not...
[26:53.390 --> 26:54.630]  You're saying he's a god now.
[26:54.750 --> 26:55.450]  He can control everything.
[26:55.590 --> 26:55.970]  He can't.
[26:55.970 --> 26:57.950]  He can't control stupidity on local levels.
[26:58.090 --> 26:58.970]  That's always going to be here.
[26:59.190 --> 26:59.890]  I don't think...
[26:59.890 --> 27:02.550]  Are we actually required to be objective?
[27:03.270 --> 27:03.870]  Required to be what?
[27:04.470 --> 27:06.950]  Like, we don't have to have, like, objectivity, do we?
[27:07.190 --> 27:08.030]  Well, we're not objective.
[27:08.150 --> 27:08.270]  Right.
[27:08.850 --> 27:10.530]  It's a ridiculous thing to try to be objective.
[27:11.430 --> 27:15.530]  But we can try and be fair, and I think that's really what we try to do here.
[27:15.590 --> 27:17.910]  It's not like we write what we're going to say ahead of time, so...
[27:17.910 --> 27:18.570]  No, no.
[27:19.270 --> 27:20.950]  So his first act was closing Gitmo.
[27:21.090 --> 27:22.910]  Hooray for the 250 or so people left there.
[27:22.970 --> 27:27.190]  But let's ask if his second act would be to suspend the Patriot Act, which is inflicted on 300 million Americans.
[27:27.210 --> 27:29.190]  If he does that, I will be willing to have an open mind.
[27:29.610 --> 27:31.410]  Which means you don't have an open mind now.
[27:31.550 --> 27:31.950]  You just...
[27:31.950 --> 27:33.410]  You buried yourself with that statement.
[27:33.570 --> 27:35.150]  But you guys are making me sick.
[27:35.370 --> 27:37.670]  In the January 21st show, you were literally gushing.
[27:38.370 --> 27:40.530]  Well, thank you, Kenan, for your remarks.
[27:40.670 --> 27:42.150]  And maybe we were gushing a little bit.
[27:42.230 --> 27:43.150]  I don't think we were gushing.
[27:43.290 --> 27:43.910]  Well, I think...
[27:43.910 --> 27:44.550]  We were happy.
[27:44.730 --> 27:46.010]  It was a happy occasion.
[27:46.250 --> 27:46.910]  That was one thing.
[27:46.910 --> 27:51.430]  And you had also just returned from the inauguration, which you were describing, so...
[27:51.430 --> 27:53.150]  Yeah, and I saw him walk down the street.
[27:53.170 --> 27:54.250]  He waved at me.
[27:54.430 --> 27:56.410]  He made eye contact, and he waved at me.
[27:56.410 --> 27:57.030]  Now you're gushing.
[27:57.190 --> 27:58.130]  I think there was a wink.
[27:58.450 --> 27:59.230]  Now you're gushing.
[27:59.230 --> 28:00.410]  I think there was a wink, but yeah.
[28:01.250 --> 28:03.430]  And I saw him on the train, and Bernie saw him on the train, too.
[28:03.510 --> 28:04.650]  And yes, we were gushing after that.
[28:05.250 --> 28:06.650]  All right, but now we're done gushing.
[28:07.230 --> 28:10.110]  Let's continue with more criticism.
[28:10.290 --> 28:12.750]  We're reading just criticism tonight, because I love criticism.
[28:13.810 --> 28:16.570]  Here's somebody who wrote in saying, I love your show.
[28:16.690 --> 28:19.690]  I'm not trying to be rude, but your show has lost its way.
[28:19.890 --> 28:21.130]  What is the show meant to be about?
[28:21.230 --> 28:21.870]  War theater?
[28:22.450 --> 28:22.810]  Trains?
[28:23.170 --> 28:23.530]  Politics?
[28:23.990 --> 28:30.030]  I still listen, but I would argue people prefer tech-slash-security-related stuff and not what we have been hearing.
[28:30.170 --> 28:31.070]  Just my two cents.
[28:32.110 --> 28:35.050]  And to that, I reply with this particular letter.
[28:35.510 --> 28:37.730]  Dear Off the Hook, I've been listening to Off the Hook for over a year now.
[28:37.750 --> 28:39.990]  I notice that lately the shows don't seem as good as they used to.
[28:40.250 --> 28:42.250]  I think I finally realized why it seems that way.
[28:42.290 --> 28:50.110]  I just wanted to speak up and give some suggestions, since I don't like it when people say stuff like, the show sucked, or Emanuel's rants are annoying.
[28:50.470 --> 28:53.990]  And if you look on the IRC channel during the show, people do say that kind of stuff.
[28:54.190 --> 28:56.450]  First, I think the show used to have more of a structure to it.
[28:56.450 --> 29:01.710]  But ever since a few months ago, most of the shows have turned into rants of various sorts.
[29:03.270 --> 29:11.770]  Basically, what works best is when you have news, some kind of opinions, and a good 30 minutes of phone calls, the point of a rant should be to get the point across to people and then stop.
[29:11.910 --> 29:12.750]  Don't overpreach.
[29:12.950 --> 29:20.050]  I don't think you've read as many listener submissions on the air lately, but you've had a lot of news to report, and I have no idea as to how much or little you get from readers submission-wise.
[29:20.550 --> 29:22.990]  I hope that these thoughts didn't go to waste.
[29:22.990 --> 29:26.150]  I know it's long, but I had to voice my opinion, signed, code freeze.
[29:26.470 --> 29:28.810]  And that letter was from 1998.
[29:29.970 --> 29:34.390]  So people have been saying this forever since we started doing the show.
[29:34.950 --> 29:37.510]  And yes, there have been ups and downs.
[29:37.610 --> 29:40.670]  There have been things that we focus on and things that we change.
[29:41.090 --> 29:44.510]  But, you know, weeks change.
[29:44.810 --> 29:48.470]  We might be talking about one thing one week and something else completely different a different week.
[29:48.510 --> 29:51.850]  But we always have listener feedback, and I think that's the important thing.
[29:51.850 --> 29:52.330]  Two things.
[29:52.450 --> 29:52.510]  Yes.
[29:52.950 --> 30:00.410]  You know, I kind of agree with the email from 1998 in that we haven't taken as much listener phone calls anyway.
[30:00.670 --> 30:01.350]  Since 1997?
[30:02.270 --> 30:03.170]  No, but, no.
[30:03.450 --> 30:04.950]  In recent times, because we've had a lot of...
[30:04.950 --> 30:05.550]  Then we've taken more.
[30:05.650 --> 30:06.530]  Then we've improved since 1998.
[30:06.530 --> 30:09.750]  We've had a lot of special guests on, and we've been talking about all sorts of special events.
[30:09.910 --> 30:11.150]  So, you know, giving...
[30:11.150 --> 30:11.970]  We only have an hour.
[30:12.110 --> 30:13.750]  You know, all this would be solved if we had more time.
[30:13.950 --> 30:14.150]  True.
[30:14.350 --> 30:16.250]  By the way, Voltaire's back from the...
[30:16.250 --> 30:20.010]  Oh, you're back from wherever it was you just journeyed to.
[30:21.850 --> 30:24.010]  Tell us what it was like in the great beyond.
[30:24.290 --> 30:27.210]  Well, there are lots of reds and yellows and blacks.
[30:27.550 --> 30:27.890]  Uh-huh.
[30:27.890 --> 30:32.110]  And it's like there are LEDs attached to the glasses.
[30:32.330 --> 30:35.450]  It looks kind of like when you stare at the sun with your eyes closed.
[30:35.630 --> 30:35.870]  Uh-huh.
[30:36.110 --> 30:41.350]  But as if the sun was moving around because the LEDs will blink at different frequencies.
[30:41.370 --> 30:45.010]  And then the sound is kind of like an ear test.
[30:45.350 --> 30:50.090]  They get at the doctor with high-pitched sounds, but they keep changing.
[30:50.190 --> 30:57.510]  You have a look in your eye now that you've been to some kind of land and the great beyond that you've come back.
[30:57.790 --> 31:00.750]  And now you're here to lead us there, hopefully.
[31:01.070 --> 31:05.050]  And the way to get there is to call 212-209-2900.
[31:05.330 --> 31:06.210]  No, no, no.
[31:07.070 --> 31:08.230]  Let's get the phone number right.
[31:08.430 --> 31:11.730]  I'm going to have to take another trip to Brain Machine Land.
[31:11.850 --> 31:14.610]  212-209-2950 is our phone number.
[31:15.130 --> 31:16.430]  Does anybody else want to try the Brain Machine?
[31:17.130 --> 31:19.490]  Well, actually, we're going to be talking about a couple of things.
[31:19.490 --> 31:23.590]  So maybe someone over there can try it.
[31:23.630 --> 31:24.290]  You can try it later.
[31:24.370 --> 31:31.910]  Speaking of trips to interesting places, I just came back from the tally room where the phones ring when you call 212-209-2950.
[31:32.030 --> 31:32.370]  Well, that's good.
[31:32.390 --> 31:33.130]  We got that fixed then.
[31:33.170 --> 31:33.870]  They do ring down there.
[31:33.910 --> 31:34.410]  They do ring.
[31:34.410 --> 31:36.210]  And they're constantly ringing.
[31:36.230 --> 31:37.310]  And there's a lot of volunteers.
[31:37.310 --> 31:38.170]  And they're very busy.
[31:38.290 --> 31:40.250]  But they love it when it's like this.
[31:40.350 --> 31:40.870]  They're so busy.
[31:40.910 --> 31:44.010]  They haven't had a chance to update the monitor, which is now working.
[31:44.010 --> 31:45.350]  We can see how much money we've raised.
[31:45.430 --> 31:45.970]  But it says zero.
[31:46.110 --> 31:47.490]  So I know that that hasn't been updated.
[31:47.490 --> 31:48.010]  It's totally wrong.
[31:48.010 --> 31:49.510]  The phones are ringing, but keep calling.
[31:49.670 --> 31:50.310]  And they'll keep ringing.
[31:50.450 --> 31:50.890]  Look at this.
[31:51.010 --> 31:54.290]  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 calls on the line right now.
[31:54.410 --> 31:55.830]  212-209-2950.
[31:56.750 --> 31:57.690]  We're giving away...
[31:57.690 --> 32:01.550]  There was a bit of confusion earlier in the hour about exactly what premiums were on offer.
[32:01.670 --> 32:03.070]  But that confusion has been resolved.
[32:03.270 --> 32:09.630]  So if you call 212-209-2950 and tell them that you want to pledge.
[32:09.670 --> 32:15.250]  And if you tell them you want to pledge $75 or more, you'll get a brain machine as a thank you.
[32:15.250 --> 32:18.970]  If you pledge $25 or more, you'll get a t-shirt as a thank you.
[32:19.150 --> 32:20.610]  And it'll be great.
[32:20.830 --> 32:21.110]  All right.
[32:21.190 --> 32:21.290]  Yeah.
[32:21.370 --> 32:22.990]  Hopefully nobody was confused by that.
[32:23.590 --> 32:23.930]  Emmanuel?
[32:24.130 --> 32:24.250]  Yes.
[32:24.310 --> 32:24.650]  Go ahead, Bernie.
[32:24.890 --> 32:26.350]  I just wanted to point out to the listeners.
[32:26.590 --> 32:36.050]  I know these fundraisers are rather annoying, but it's necessary to keep this radio station on the air, WBA, because no other radio station is going to air a hacker radio show.
[32:36.050 --> 32:43.650]  And while these gifts are fantastic, the trip glasses, the brain machine is very cool for a gift of $75.
[32:44.030 --> 32:45.970]  You can get that and an Office Hill t-shirt.
[32:46.450 --> 32:49.930]  Your pledge is not really about the thank you gifts we give you.
[32:50.010 --> 32:59.490]  It's about keeping this kind of programming on the air and supporting a radio station that doesn't have commercials, that has to pay its bills, that would run a show like this.
[32:59.490 --> 33:07.930]  So if you're obviously listening to the show right now, if you're hearing my voice, and if it's radio worth listening to, it's worth supporting.
[33:07.950 --> 33:11.150]  So please call 212-209-2950.
[33:11.730 --> 33:12.890]  Pledge whatever you can.
[33:13.050 --> 33:18.690]  If you pledge over $25, you get an Office Hill t-shirt, which is not available anywhere else.
[33:18.730 --> 33:19.750]  You can't buy it in any store.
[33:20.570 --> 33:21.630]  $75 or more.
[33:21.710 --> 33:23.290]  You get these amazing trip glasses.
[33:23.770 --> 33:25.310]  It'll take you to Never Never Land.
[33:25.550 --> 33:27.350]  And you get the Office Hill t-shirt.
[33:27.510 --> 33:29.150]  So please support the station.
[33:29.150 --> 33:30.690]  I think not Kevin's going to try them next.
[33:30.870 --> 33:41.230]  And for those of you, I know we've gotten a couple of emails and phone calls even from people that pledged for, I think, the last fundraiser, and you still haven't gotten your premiums.
[33:41.650 --> 33:42.890]  You will get your premiums.
[33:42.950 --> 33:43.950]  Everyone, they're going out.
[33:44.130 --> 33:45.510]  I just signed a bunch of books yesterday.
[33:45.870 --> 33:49.210]  It takes time, and a lot of people are involved, and it's all volunteer effort.
[33:49.750 --> 33:53.590]  But as Bernie said, the reason to pledge is for the station itself.
[33:53.790 --> 33:58.950]  So just know that we always make sure people get their things in the end.
[34:00.650 --> 34:08.510]  And even if you haven't gotten something from the last fundraiser, if you want to pledge for this, don't hold back because we certainly need all the help we can get.
[34:08.630 --> 34:10.210]  And you're keeping the radio station going.
[34:10.310 --> 34:10.930]  That's what it's all about.
[34:11.030 --> 34:12.290]  212-209-2950.
[34:12.530 --> 34:15.930]  And, of course, you could always pledge any amount of money and decline the thank you gift.
[34:15.930 --> 34:17.990]  And we appreciate that as well, too.
[34:17.990 --> 34:18.690]  That's very true.
[34:18.950 --> 34:21.410]  Okay, going back to the listener mailbag.
[34:21.750 --> 34:22.090]  Greetings.
[34:22.310 --> 34:27.130]  The show of January 28th last week was an entire hour wasted in fear-mongering.
[34:27.290 --> 34:28.590]  Please don't do this again.
[34:28.770 --> 34:29.390]  Signed, Bobson.
[34:29.490 --> 34:34.690]  You're referring to last week's show where we had Steve Rambamon talking about sex offenders on MySpace.
[34:34.690 --> 34:40.910]  And we have gotten a bit of feedback, not a whole lot of feedback, but a bit of feedback about that.
[34:41.030 --> 34:41.750]  Some good, some bad.
[34:42.410 --> 34:52.510]  And, yeah, you know, I know a lot of people disagree with the premise that sex offenders on MySpace is something even worth discussing.
[34:52.510 --> 34:54.710]  But it is an interesting topic, and it's controversial.
[34:55.270 --> 35:02.290]  And rather than simply say, don't do that again, how about entering into the debate, into the conversation?
[35:02.290 --> 35:03.570]  We had the phone lines open.
[35:03.870 --> 35:09.930]  People can confront our guests with all kinds of facts and questions and things like that.
[35:10.570 --> 35:15.030]  Everybody you hear on this radio program and on this radio station, you're not going to agree with.
[35:15.070 --> 35:15.970]  I'm not going to agree with.
[35:15.970 --> 35:24.030]  And I think it's far better to actually have a dialogue with people rather than not have the dialogue and simply preach to the converted.
[35:24.530 --> 35:25.290]  Mike, do you have something on that?
[35:25.310 --> 35:27.050]  Yeah, your statement was a little bit ambiguous.
[35:27.190 --> 35:31.610]  Are you saying there's no one on this entire radio station who you'll ever agree with or just that you won't agree all the time?
[35:31.610 --> 35:34.370]  I think I can say I don't agree with anybody here on anything.
[35:34.650 --> 35:35.730]  Because I think that's about right.
[35:35.850 --> 35:36.630]  I think we all agree on that.
[35:36.630 --> 35:38.410]  I don't even agree with myself most of the time.
[35:38.550 --> 35:38.670]  No, no.
[35:38.730 --> 35:40.090]  It's a very controversial place.
[35:40.230 --> 35:41.610]  We're always bickering about various things.
[35:42.950 --> 35:44.810]  And it's just, that's our history.
[35:44.810 --> 35:50.530]  But I think what we can learn a lot from is just by having different points of view on there.
[35:50.650 --> 35:56.970]  And if it's something that we find to be objectionable, rather than say, don't talk about that, talk about it and explain why it's objectionable.
[35:57.110 --> 36:02.450]  And I think a lot more people will then agree with you based on what you say, assuming it's logical.
[36:03.990 --> 36:04.390]  Emmanuel?
[36:04.550 --> 36:04.990]  Yes, go ahead, Bernie.
[36:06.090 --> 36:09.070]  And I would like to say that we kind of broke the story.
[36:09.070 --> 36:20.870]  Steve Rambam was kind enough to let us scoop other, scoop CNN and some other news outlets in mentioning that this was such a major problem.
[36:21.030 --> 36:30.570]  And since last week, MySpace has turned over 90,000 names of registered sex offenders whose names appear on MySpace profiles.
[36:30.570 --> 36:33.950]  90,000 sex offenders on MySpace.
[36:34.050 --> 36:35.870]  A lot more than the 100 that Steve Rambam found.
[36:35.890 --> 36:41.250]  I mean, yeah, we can go into this whole thing about what is a sex offender and what are these lists and things like that.
[36:41.330 --> 36:47.710]  But that's, that's, that's, it's just fascinating that that even exists, that there's so many people registered that way and that they're all on MySpace.
[36:48.010 --> 36:50.010]  And it's quite a story.
[36:50.010 --> 36:53.850]  We don't know if those, we don't know if those individuals were the ones who actually set up those profiles.
[36:54.030 --> 37:01.390]  As I pointed out on the show, uh, sex offenders information is readily available online along with the photographs due to federal law, um, and state laws.
[37:01.530 --> 37:03.430]  So anybody could have set these profiles up.
[37:03.550 --> 37:05.690]  So, but the bottom line is worth checking out.
[37:05.850 --> 37:12.630]  If they, if they, if they made an agreement that they had to, uh, stay off of these websites, then, um, they should be held to that agreement.
[37:12.770 --> 37:13.010]  That's all.
[37:20.010 --> 37:25.110]  The difficulty for those not ready individuals and converting their TV sets to digital capability is hard to understand.
[37:25.150 --> 37:33.410]  It's especially ironic considering how many times in the past you have criticized the term hackers being applied to those who break into computers and play havoc with the programming.
[37:33.570 --> 37:35.970]  You imply that this is a relatively easy thing to do.
[37:36.070 --> 37:42.170]  I know how, how to use certain computer applications like Photoshop and MS Office, but I couldn't reprogram a computer's OS to save my life.
[37:42.170 --> 37:50.950]  Yet the same pedestrian hackers, though they have had over a year and a half to get ready, still have not assumed any personal responsibility to upgrade a television set.
[37:51.310 --> 38:02.310]  Sorry for my heartlessness, but if access to Fox News or to another inane episode of Smallville is so vital to one's well-being and having almost a thousand days of preparation hasn't motivated any hapless souls, that's their problem.
[38:02.510 --> 38:03.530]  There's always the radio.
[38:03.850 --> 38:07.790]  As has been said so many times recently, it's time for a bit of growing up on the part of the American people.
[38:07.790 --> 38:12.670]  It's time to take at least some responsibility for one's actions or lack thereof.
[38:12.810 --> 38:14.590]  Thank you, Jeffrey, for your opinion there.
[38:14.730 --> 38:17.350]  I should point out, though, that I don't think we're talking about the hackers.
[38:17.510 --> 38:22.550]  We're talking about those people that probably can't even listen to this radio station because they don't have internet access.
[38:22.830 --> 38:28.650]  People in faraway places that are out of reach of TV, digital TV signals.
[38:29.010 --> 38:33.690]  The elderly, the poor, people can't afford to buy bits of equipment, things like that.
[38:33.690 --> 38:37.470]  So, yeah, I think hackers can figure it out, although it is kind of a challenge for us, too.
[38:37.610 --> 38:41.330]  But we're talking about those people that maybe we don't know personally.
[38:41.910 --> 38:44.890]  I completely agree with this person who wrote that email.
[38:45.070 --> 38:47.490]  I think that at this point, I mean, they've had long enough.
[38:47.630 --> 38:48.090]  And you know what?
[38:48.150 --> 38:58.730]  Honestly, if you're deprived of your television for the few weeks or the month or the few months that you, for whatever reason, decide, choose or can't get a converter box, then go outside.
[38:59.770 --> 39:00.730]  Do something else.
[39:00.870 --> 39:01.190]  Come on.
[39:01.190 --> 39:02.790]  I mean, you don't need your television.
[39:02.990 --> 39:05.190]  People don't live and die by the television.
[39:05.230 --> 39:06.810]  Well, actually, some people do, unfortunately.
[39:06.990 --> 39:14.670]  But, you know, people who are bedridden, for instance, people in, I understand some prisons are involved here that haven't gotten upgraded.
[39:15.010 --> 39:16.870]  I mean, there's all sorts of possibilities.
[39:17.250 --> 39:19.130]  I think you're speaking about the exception, not the rule.
[39:19.130 --> 39:19.730]  Well, I don't know.
[39:20.170 --> 39:20.630]  According to...
[39:20.630 --> 39:21.330]  Can I make a point?
[39:21.470 --> 39:22.790]  Go ahead, Mitch.
[39:23.150 --> 39:27.450]  Yeah, well, as the inventor of TV Be Gone, this is sort of near and dear to my heart.
[39:27.450 --> 39:41.490]  You know, like, TV isn't all evil, but the thing is, why not take this as an opportunity to just think about the time you take to watch TV and the amount of enjoyment you get out of it.
[39:41.490 --> 39:49.290]  But with the time you're taking to watch whatever program it is, is there something else that you might enjoy, maybe just a little more?
[39:49.610 --> 39:52.790]  And if the answer is yes, then maybe try it out.
[39:52.790 --> 39:56.410]  Well, yeah, I mean, it's all well and good, and this applies to most everybody I know.
[39:56.550 --> 40:07.070]  I'm trying to think of those people that literally do depend on this, that maybe have absolutely nothing in their lives whatsoever, or are bedridden, or elderly, or something like that.
[40:07.070 --> 40:11.190]  But Nielsen says that 6 million people are not ready for this yet.
[40:11.290 --> 40:16.550]  6 million people will have useless television sets, and I'm sure at least half of those people can probably find something else to do.
[40:16.650 --> 40:21.030]  But there's a significant number of people that I think are going to get kind of screwed by this.
[40:21.290 --> 40:22.790]  Again, we're talking...
[40:23.230 --> 40:32.870]  June's mentioned numerous times on our mailing list that we keep talking about how the elderly and the bedridden are going to have TV, and that actually they're better prepared in general than people under 35.
[40:33.130 --> 40:35.430]  And how do we reach that conclusion that they're better prepared exactly?
[40:35.430 --> 40:37.890]  The statistics that were generated about this.
[40:38.010 --> 40:39.150]  I mean, people are always generating...
[40:39.150 --> 40:40.270]  Companies are generating statistics.
[40:40.370 --> 40:42.370]  Is this like an internet type of poll or something?
[40:42.470 --> 40:50.530]  But the thing is, okay, yes, but even so, I'm sure it's a survey that some company has taken, but the fact is that you're stating it without anything to back it.
[40:50.790 --> 41:00.150]  Second of all, and we talked about this also, was that in Finland, when I was in Finland, we had the digital TV conversion, and they didn't have coupons.
[41:00.310 --> 41:01.330]  Nobody complained about it over there.
[41:01.330 --> 41:02.810]  Okay, but there's a lot less people there.
[41:02.930 --> 41:03.770]  It's a smaller area.
[41:03.770 --> 41:04.910]  This is all at once.
[41:05.170 --> 41:06.450]  We also talked about England.
[41:06.670 --> 41:07.290]  It was all at once.
[41:07.350 --> 41:08.550]  They've been doing it since 1998.
[41:08.550 --> 41:11.830]  They're not going to be finished until 2012, and they're doing it region by region.
[41:12.130 --> 41:15.550]  So it's a lot more unshocking.
[41:15.650 --> 41:19.970]  I didn't have TV for weeks, and then I was like, hmm, maybe we should go out and get a converter box.
[41:20.090 --> 41:20.230]  All right.
[41:20.310 --> 41:21.810]  Well, you know, go ahead, Dot Red.
[41:21.850 --> 41:22.110]  You have something?
[41:22.790 --> 41:27.530]  I have to say, I agree with the person who wrote in the letter in Red Hack.
[41:27.530 --> 41:31.250]  This seems to emphasize our addiction to washed-out entertainment.
[41:31.510 --> 41:31.710]  Uh-huh.
[41:31.770 --> 41:32.390]  Why is every...
[41:32.390 --> 41:35.770]  You know, I don't see why people should be flipping out so much about...
[41:35.770 --> 41:37.850]  Well, there are a couple of issues here.
[41:38.170 --> 41:50.890]  First of all, the people who set this up, namely the federal government and the broadcasting industry, are making a ton of money off of this, because the federal government is selling the frequencies, billions of dollars being exchanged there.
[41:51.430 --> 42:01.570]  Broadcasters are making a ton of money by having more channels than ever, and basically, people are expected to buy the equipment to pay for that, and a lot of people can't afford...
[42:01.570 --> 42:07.630]  People who have lost their jobs, have lost their homes, you think they can afford even $40 to keep their television set working?
[42:07.750 --> 42:09.090]  Is that really, really fair?
[42:09.230 --> 42:10.450]  Wait, everybody's raising their hands.
[42:10.950 --> 42:11.650]  Go ahead, Red Hack.
[42:11.730 --> 42:15.670]  When did television become a right that the government has to guarantee us by giving us coupons?
[42:15.670 --> 42:26.450]  Well, if the rules have suddenly changed on something that you were using, it just seems like if they're the ones that have precipitated this, it kind of makes sense.
[42:26.690 --> 42:27.230]  Bernie, go ahead.
[42:27.490 --> 42:43.450]  Yeah, it was a social contract that the United States government had with its citizens that the United States government, through the Federal Communications Commission, would set up a national system of television broadcasting, whereby if you buy a television,
[42:43.570 --> 42:47.550]  you'll be able to watch this programming for free because it's over the public airwaves.
[42:47.670 --> 42:51.110]  Now, more recently, the U.S.
[42:51.230 --> 43:11.050]  Congress and the FCC and the National Association of Broadcasters have colluded to change those rules and say, okay, if you want to keep watching television, you're going to have to pay at least $40 to continue watching programming over public airwaves that used to be furnished free of charge.
[43:11.050 --> 43:18.610]  Meanwhile, the federal government gets to rake in $19 billion by selling this spectrum to AT&T and to Verizon.
[43:18.830 --> 43:23.090]  And the broadcasters get to have five times as many channels and run five times as many ads.
[43:23.230 --> 43:29.130]  And on four of those five channels that they can run now, they can run pay-per-view broadcasting, which they haven't done yet, but they're allowed to.
[43:29.210 --> 43:33.050]  And I have a problem with that, broadcasting pay-per-view programming over public spectrum.
[43:33.230 --> 43:38.030]  So this isn't exactly the same as the Finland situation that Redhack brought up.
[43:39.130 --> 43:44.350]  In light of a recession and national debt, couldn't one argue that the government maybe should make more money?
[43:44.890 --> 43:47.190]  And that it'd actually be better than that we wouldn't have to...
[43:47.190 --> 43:48.210]  Make money off of us.
[43:48.570 --> 43:50.950]  Well, not as bad of a tax as that may be.
[43:51.050 --> 43:52.530]  How many different ways can we bail them out?
[43:53.710 --> 43:55.310]  It's just a shell game is what I'm saying.
[43:55.630 --> 43:56.610]  It seems that way.
[43:57.150 --> 44:01.150]  But in any event, the news today is that it was in fact postponed until June.
[44:01.610 --> 44:04.630]  So people... I don't see how that hurts anybody.
[44:04.630 --> 44:09.990]  I know some of the TV broadcasters are crying that this is going to cost some money because they have to keep the analog signal on.
[44:10.070 --> 44:11.730]  But, you know, I don't think it's going to cost that much.
[44:11.730 --> 44:13.930]  And it's probably better for everybody to...
[44:13.930 --> 44:20.850]  Well, if they don't get the coupons through, it's going to be just through the stimulus package, which I know that probably they're giving a big fuss over.
[44:21.650 --> 44:29.910]  If it doesn't go through, it's going to be even more chaotic come June because people will think that, oh, they're just crying wolf and they're going to extend it again, the deadline.
[44:30.250 --> 44:33.110]  And they're just going to wait till the last minute as they did before.
[44:33.110 --> 44:39.830]  And if not, they'll just not even know about it and say, oh, maybe it doesn't affect me, even if it does, because they expect it to happen in February.
[44:40.370 --> 44:40.710]  All right.
[44:40.770 --> 44:42.890]  Well, you know, we can spend literally hours...
[44:42.890 --> 44:43.690]  Okay, last word right there.
[44:43.710 --> 44:44.290]  Last comment.
[44:44.610 --> 44:49.130]  At least if it's postponed till June, the weather will be nicer and people can go outside when their TV doesn't go.
[44:49.230 --> 44:49.230]  Exactly.
[44:49.230 --> 44:49.230]  There you go.
[44:49.430 --> 44:51.550]  You know, people can do all sorts of other things.
[44:51.630 --> 44:55.790]  But it's easy to say that people should be doing other things outside.
[44:55.950 --> 44:58.990]  But in any event, we'll see what happens.
[44:59.010 --> 45:00.070]  It's going to be interesting no matter what.
[45:00.890 --> 45:01.410]  Okay.
[45:01.630 --> 45:05.810]  And there's this story, too, concerning AT&T.
[45:06.490 --> 45:09.910]  Are there any AT&T mobility?
[45:10.990 --> 45:12.330]  Anybody use that service?
[45:13.030 --> 45:13.570]  Is that...
[45:13.570 --> 45:15.530]  Is that just an AT&T cell phone?
[45:15.950 --> 45:17.090]  I guess so.
[45:17.430 --> 45:17.770]  Yeah.
[45:18.090 --> 45:19.170]  It's a wood service, wasn't it?
[45:19.310 --> 45:19.810]  No.
[45:20.470 --> 45:22.690]  That's their... I thought they were called AT&T Wireless.
[45:23.130 --> 45:24.250]  No, they used to be.
[45:24.350 --> 45:26.110]  And then they got bought by Singular.
[45:26.110 --> 45:26.870]  Yeah, I know about that.
[45:26.890 --> 45:29.850]  And they were called Singular for a while, so they can't reuse the AT&T.
[45:30.550 --> 45:31.250]  It's all silly.
[45:31.370 --> 45:31.610]  All right.
[45:32.250 --> 45:33.510]  Well, all right.
[45:33.590 --> 45:34.930]  So you use AT&T, right?
[45:35.010 --> 45:36.070]  I know, because you were complaining about them.
[45:36.210 --> 45:36.650]  And that's right.
[45:36.690 --> 45:37.530]  You do, too, RedHack.
[45:37.910 --> 45:42.050]  So you know about the transition to UMTS that's underway.
[45:42.530 --> 45:44.070]  Actually, for some reason, I have two of these stories.
[45:44.150 --> 45:44.950]  I'll give you one of them.
[45:45.830 --> 45:49.890]  But basically, they're transitioning to the UMTS wireless phone technology.
[45:49.990 --> 45:51.930]  And this is causing all kinds of chaos, too.
[45:52.350 --> 45:58.630]  Because what that means is that existing phones are going to have to be replaced, I believe, this summer.
[45:58.710 --> 46:05.430]  And they're worried about possible confusion and convenience facing the customer's 77.1 million subscribers.
[46:05.770 --> 46:07.430]  My God, they really have that many?
[46:07.910 --> 46:11.510]  All phones... This is according to Senator Dianne Feinstein of California.
[46:11.810 --> 46:14.310]  All phones will have to be replaced to work with the new technology.
[46:14.490 --> 46:20.030]  While consumers will appreciate the faster speed and better sound quality, is it fair to expect them to shoulder the cost?
[46:20.410 --> 46:22.350]  Now, that transition has been scheduled to begin in May.
[46:22.630 --> 46:26.970]  And AT&T Mobility expects it to be completely... to complete, rather, by mid-summer.
[46:27.430 --> 46:32.530]  Notices have been sent in recent bills, and special discounts of up to 20% on new phones are being offered to customers.
[46:32.990 --> 46:38.850]  This is a change our customers want, says spokeswoman Deirdre Macy.
[46:39.530 --> 46:43.390]  UMTS technology supports up to 21 megabits per second data transfer speed.
[46:43.810 --> 46:49.290]  Clearly, this puts AT&T customers ahead of the curve and more on par with companies in other parts of the world, such as Europe and Japan.
[46:49.290 --> 46:59.030]  Now, UMTS, for those who don't know, is sometimes marketed as 3GSM, emphasizing the combination of the 3G nature of the technology and the GSM standard, which it was designed to succeed.
[46:59.550 --> 47:03.370]  All current AT&T Mobility customers use the GSM technology.
[47:03.590 --> 47:12.550]  Now, while the SIM cards in GSM phones will also work in UMTS phones, the issues with the new frequency is being used by the system, which is located in the 1700 megahertz band.
[47:13.010 --> 47:17.130]  Existing phones cannot communicate with that frequency, a fact which necessitates their replacement.
[47:17.510 --> 47:27.030]  Now, Apple iPhone users are of particular concern, as their devices will cease operating as telephones this summer without either an upgrade to the new frequency or replacement with a new model.
[47:27.390 --> 47:33.190]  And each of these options is likely to cost the consumer between $100 and $300 after the 20% discount.
[47:33.610 --> 47:36.370]  Now, Senator Feinstein insists that not enough notice has been given to customers.
[47:36.470 --> 47:43.070]  She plans to introduce a bill early next week, along with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, but will force AT&T to postpone the transition until later this year.
[47:43.210 --> 47:48.130]  Now, if they force me to get a new phone, is that in violation of the contract that I have?
[47:48.190 --> 47:48.910]  That's an interesting point.
[47:49.410 --> 47:53.810]  Because I think it is, because they're forcing me to spend something that was not in the contract.
[47:53.810 --> 47:58.470]  In which case, I'm glad that the iPhone dev team jailbroke it, because then I can switch to another GSM provider.
[47:58.670 --> 48:05.710]  Well, I read someplace that they would waive any penalty if you broke your contract at that point.
[48:05.850 --> 48:06.110]  Oh, good.
[48:06.310 --> 48:10.170]  But the question is, would people stay with them?
[48:11.210 --> 48:11.870]  I wouldn't.
[48:11.870 --> 48:14.050]  To answer that question, this is why I'm leaving AT&T.
[48:14.110 --> 48:14.390]  Why?
[48:15.110 --> 48:17.370]  Well, I mean, this is not something that's a surprise.
[48:17.590 --> 48:18.330]  No, no, it's not.
[48:18.550 --> 48:22.390]  Well, I'll be happy to get an iPhone at the discount and then break my contract in the middle.
[48:22.470 --> 48:22.910]  That's fine.
[48:22.990 --> 48:23.910]  That's fine with me.
[48:24.090 --> 48:24.250]  Yeah.
[48:24.410 --> 48:25.670]  I mean, I didn't know about it.
[48:25.750 --> 48:26.450]  I didn't know about it either.
[48:26.530 --> 48:27.590]  You're AT&T customers.
[48:27.690 --> 48:29.450]  I don't read my AT&T bill.
[48:30.030 --> 48:30.650]  They don't.
[48:30.650 --> 48:32.410]  I mean, other customers, these sorts of things.
[48:32.550 --> 48:35.210]  Isn't it your obligation to keep up to date on these things?
[48:35.350 --> 48:43.050]  I mean, I read the part of the bill that tells them how much money I owe, and the part of the bill that says why I owe them that much money, but I don't read everything on the bill.
[48:43.230 --> 48:48.990]  You know, what was in big print on my bill last month, that there was a digital television transition.
[48:49.530 --> 48:51.170]  Well, I didn't see anything about this.
[48:51.330 --> 48:51.590]  Really?
[48:51.810 --> 48:52.890]  You didn't see anything about that at all?
[48:53.890 --> 48:55.910]  I mean, do you think it's a good idea?
[48:56.030 --> 48:58.950]  I mean, if you had something to say to AT&T right now, what would you say to them?
[48:59.290 --> 49:03.150]  Well, is there a reason that they have to get rid of the 3G network also?
[49:03.370 --> 49:05.630]  You know, why they have to drop support for the other phones?
[49:05.650 --> 49:06.410]  21 megabit data transfer speed.
[49:06.690 --> 49:06.730]  No, no, no.
[49:06.730 --> 49:07.930]  I'm not saying that.
[49:07.990 --> 49:13.050]  I'm saying is there any reason why they can't use both of them for a time being, for a transition period?
[49:13.150 --> 49:14.850]  Why does it have to be one to the other?
[49:15.110 --> 49:21.730]  Probably because of the different frequencies and because that would involve more transition and more complexity.
[49:21.790 --> 49:23.930]  They don't have room in their cell towers for two transmitters?
[49:24.210 --> 49:27.050]  You know, these are all questions that should have been asked way at the beginning of the process.
[49:27.390 --> 49:30.990]  Are they going to be selling the old frequencies when they're done with the transition?
[49:31.370 --> 49:32.090]  I don't know.
[49:32.390 --> 49:33.050]  Yes, Bernie, go ahead.
[49:33.450 --> 49:34.350]  I do want to point out.
[49:34.770 --> 49:50.070]  People who've been AT&T wireless customers for more than six or seven years may recall that AT&T pulled the same stunt on its customers back then, five or six, seven years ago, when they were transitioning from their TDMA technology to DSM.
[49:50.410 --> 49:53.290]  And there were a lot of people that were just cut off.
[49:53.390 --> 49:54.370]  They just lost service.
[49:54.550 --> 49:54.750]  Okay.
[49:54.890 --> 49:58.830]  So, yes, my question then is what Senator Feinstein is saying.
[49:58.990 --> 50:07.310]  Is this fair to expect the consumers... I mean, for people who stay with AT&T, should they be paying to upgrade their phones because AT&T has changed the technology?
[50:07.750 --> 50:08.450]  What do you think, Bernie?
[50:09.070 --> 50:11.710]  I think the wireless carriers are making so much money.
[50:11.830 --> 50:14.430]  They're one of the largest industries in this country.
[50:14.550 --> 50:18.010]  And they make tens and tens of billions of dollars a year.
[50:18.390 --> 50:35.410]  I think they can afford... if they're foisting a new technology on customers who are bound to a contract, I think it should be on... the owner should be on the carrier to say, hey, we'll work at the difference and subsidize the price of a new handset if you want to stay our customer.
[50:35.590 --> 50:40.730]  Otherwise, well, as you did point out, that they're going to lease people from the contract, which is the least that they can do.
[50:40.750 --> 50:41.750]  Well, that's why I just read that so much.
[50:41.810 --> 50:42.390]  Red Hat, what do you think?
[50:42.410 --> 50:44.970]  Do you think it's fair to expect the consumer to pay for this?
[50:46.030 --> 50:46.850]  For AT&T customers?
[50:46.890 --> 50:53.010]  You know, I mean, if they release people from the contract, then it's fine because a GSM phone can be brought to a number of other carriers.
[50:53.550 --> 50:59.570]  So, I mean, if they want to do the switch this way, that's fine, as long as, you know, they afford you the ability to break your contract.
[50:59.770 --> 51:01.470]  Okay, what if T-Mobile didn't exist, though?
[51:01.590 --> 51:02.890]  What if there wasn't another company?
[51:03.090 --> 51:03.770]  Then what would you say?
[51:04.690 --> 51:08.210]  Well, it would be upsetting, but I mean, I would hope that they subsidize it.
[51:08.230 --> 51:09.750]  You're holding an iPhone in your hand right now.
[51:09.890 --> 51:13.170]  You would have basically a completely useless piece of hardware.
[51:14.530 --> 51:16.610]  And... Mike, what are you doing?
[51:17.090 --> 51:18.310]  You're going on the internet.
[51:18.450 --> 51:18.810]  Don't do that.
[51:20.410 --> 51:20.730]  Basically...
[51:20.730 --> 51:22.970]  Is this an old article?
[51:22.970 --> 51:23.950]  No, not really.
[51:25.250 --> 51:26.430]  It's a non-existent article.
[51:26.650 --> 51:27.150]  I made that up.
[51:27.150 --> 51:27.470]  You made it up.
[51:27.650 --> 51:27.910]  Yeah, I made it up.
[51:27.970 --> 51:29.530]  Just to put you on the spot here.
[51:29.610 --> 51:29.750]  It was.
[51:29.970 --> 51:31.430]  I'm using my iPhone to research you.
[51:31.430 --> 51:31.970]  But look, it's really good.
[51:32.130 --> 51:33.710]  It's really... it looks just like a real story.
[51:33.890 --> 51:44.430]  And, you know, I think maybe all the panic that went on with people listening to us right now, this might prove the point that, yeah, you know, they can change the rules on you, and the consumer winds up being screwed.
[51:44.510 --> 51:48.230]  And maybe we don't understand with television, but we will understand with telephones.
[51:48.450 --> 51:59.610]  When something that we buy and we use every single day no longer works, and we have to pay to make it work, I think we might realize that it's not fair on the consumer, and maybe there's a different way of doing it.
[52:00.190 --> 52:01.530]  Sorry I put you through that.
[52:03.390 --> 52:04.090]  They're sweating.
[52:04.170 --> 52:05.210]  Everyone's sweating in the studio.
[52:05.930 --> 52:06.290]  Panic.
[52:06.510 --> 52:07.130]  I'm relaxed.
[52:07.510 --> 52:07.770]  Yeah.
[52:07.910 --> 52:08.930]  So, Mike, you suspect it, huh?
[52:09.390 --> 52:10.350]  Yeah, I know you too well.
[52:11.450 --> 52:12.450]  You're always a disadvantage.
[52:13.030 --> 52:13.530]  All right.
[52:13.650 --> 52:17.390]  So, in the last couple of minutes of the show... Oh, not Kevin.
[52:17.450 --> 52:18.890]  You were on the brain machine that whole time.
[52:19.030 --> 52:19.310]  Yes.
[52:19.310 --> 52:21.310]  So, you look all relaxed, as opposed to everybody else...
[52:21.310 --> 52:23.130]  No, I think I need that brain machine now.
[52:23.230 --> 52:24.390]  Yeah, I think you've earned it.
[52:25.650 --> 52:26.950]  212-209-295.
[52:27.050 --> 52:30.370]  Apologies to AT&T as well, and to Senator Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy.
[52:30.650 --> 52:35.430]  We do have some people who are going to get brain machines or not get brain machines, or whatever they're going to do.
[52:35.510 --> 52:39.210]  Deirdre Macy, too, of AT&T... Actually, you don't exist, so I'm not going to apologize to you.
[52:40.270 --> 52:46.190]  Yes, people who want brain machines, please call and pledge, and you can get through all kinds of stressful situations, including this one.
[52:46.190 --> 52:49.510]  We have some people to thank, but first, the phone number, 212-209-2950.
[52:49.650 --> 52:51.130]  We only have about seven minutes left.
[52:51.390 --> 52:52.990]  Pledges are 75 and above.
[52:53.150 --> 53:02.150]  Get you a brain machine, a pre-assembled brain machine, and you'll also get the off-the-hook t-shirt, and you'll get that for every pledge of $25 and above.
[53:02.310 --> 53:03.390]  Okay, let's thank some people.
[53:03.530 --> 53:07.730]  We want to thank even Suzanne from New York, New York City.
[53:07.910 --> 53:08.190]  All right.
[53:09.010 --> 53:09.230]  Oh.
[53:09.750 --> 53:10.690]  Yes, your turn now.
[53:10.690 --> 53:10.690]  Yeah.
[53:11.210 --> 53:14.390]  Why don't we use two different mics so you don't bat them back and forth?
[53:14.610 --> 53:14.730]  Yeah.
[53:14.890 --> 53:14.930]  Okay.
[53:15.970 --> 53:17.770]  Eugene from Wildkill, New York.
[53:18.070 --> 53:18.410]  All right.
[53:19.310 --> 53:20.750]  Sandra from New York, New York.
[53:20.930 --> 53:21.770]  What was that first name again?
[53:21.870 --> 53:22.270]  Sandra.
[53:22.530 --> 53:22.690]  Okay.
[53:24.270 --> 53:24.950]  Go ahead.
[53:25.130 --> 53:25.430]  Come on.
[53:25.490 --> 53:26.650]  This isn't market science here.
[53:27.630 --> 53:28.110]  All right.
[53:28.190 --> 53:29.730]  While he's learning to read, why don't you...
[53:29.730 --> 53:29.990]  All right.
[53:29.990 --> 53:31.610]  Alice from Croton on Hudson, New York.
[53:31.610 --> 53:31.830]  Okay.
[53:32.150 --> 53:33.510]  We want to thank Bob from Brooklyn.
[53:34.670 --> 53:35.230]  All right.
[53:36.250 --> 53:39.110]  A big thank you to Rebecca from Long Island City.
[53:39.870 --> 53:40.230]  All right.
[53:40.270 --> 53:41.790]  You got to catch up because you fell behind.
[53:42.070 --> 53:42.290]  All right.
[53:42.390 --> 53:44.550]  Lou from New York and...
[53:44.550 --> 53:46.650]  Why don't you just finish so that we don't have to do this any...
[53:46.650 --> 53:47.030]  Mike.
[53:47.910 --> 53:48.270]  From?
[53:48.530 --> 53:48.890]  Maywood.
[53:49.030 --> 53:49.270]  Okay.
[53:49.390 --> 53:49.830]  Maywood where?
[53:50.930 --> 53:51.530]  New Jersey.
[53:51.670 --> 53:51.910]  All right.
[53:52.110 --> 53:53.190]  And finish up over here?
[53:53.430 --> 53:53.870]  We're good.
[53:53.950 --> 53:54.150]  We're good.
[53:54.250 --> 53:54.690]  Caught up everybody?
[53:54.810 --> 53:54.950]  Okay.
[53:55.030 --> 53:55.130]  Good.
[53:55.590 --> 53:56.610]  The phone lines are ringing again.
[53:56.730 --> 53:57.950]  We have seven calls on the line.
[53:58.090 --> 53:59.590]  212-209-2950.
[54:00.410 --> 54:01.970]  According to Tally, we're up to $1,200.
[54:01.970 --> 54:02.090]  $1,200.
[54:02.630 --> 54:06.590]  I'm sure that isn't updated though because they're going crazy answering phones down there.
[54:06.730 --> 54:09.150]  Can we reveal the secrets of the thank yous?
[54:09.570 --> 54:09.930]  Yeah.
[54:10.050 --> 54:10.630]  Reveal the secrets.
[54:10.970 --> 54:15.990]  That Mike who pledged, and we won't say his city again, is really also known as Junes.
[54:16.210 --> 54:16.750]  Oh, really?
[54:16.930 --> 54:17.050]  Yeah.
[54:17.410 --> 54:17.850]  Well, wait a minute.
[54:17.930 --> 54:19.830]  Isn't he driving into the city to meet up with us later?
[54:19.950 --> 54:20.290]  I don't know.
[54:20.350 --> 54:21.870]  Maybe he's talking on the phone while he's driving.
[54:21.870 --> 54:22.930]  Well, that's not safe.
[54:22.930 --> 54:24.010]  You shouldn't be doing that.
[54:24.350 --> 54:25.850]  It's very dangerous to be driving.
[54:25.850 --> 54:26.450]  Ticketable offense.
[54:26.630 --> 54:26.770]  Yeah.
[54:26.890 --> 54:28.190]  Next time I see him, I'll tell him not to.
[54:28.270 --> 54:28.730]  I'll tell you what.
[54:28.770 --> 54:30.290]  That ticket's going to cost a lot more than $75.
[54:30.290 --> 54:30.570]  $75.
[54:30.870 --> 54:37.310]  Every time you get a speeding ticket or any kind of a violation, think of how many brain machines you're being charged.
[54:37.610 --> 54:37.810]  Yeah.
[54:38.090 --> 54:42.150]  Think of, in the course of your life, anything that's $75 and above.
[54:42.310 --> 54:43.090]  Maybe your power bill.
[54:43.170 --> 54:43.990]  Maybe your internet bill.
[54:44.070 --> 54:44.750]  Maybe your phone bill.
[54:45.010 --> 54:46.330]  That's a brain machine right there.
[54:46.430 --> 54:47.430]  That's a couple of brain machines.
[54:47.570 --> 54:49.530]  212-209-2950.
[54:49.830 --> 55:01.630]  Pledges of $75 and above will get you a pre-assembled brain machine, which we've experienced here in the studio and have traveled to places that we can't even describe because they're just so pleasant and nice and relaxing.
[55:02.150 --> 55:09.610]  But you can only get them before 8 o'clock Eastern time on Wednesday, February the 4th.
[55:09.730 --> 55:12.590]  If you're listening to this show later, well, you can't get it, unfortunately.
[55:12.850 --> 55:15.430]  But next week at this time, you'll be able to get something else.
[55:15.910 --> 55:23.350]  So etch it somewhere in a place that you won't forget that you have to listen to the show next week, live.
[55:23.870 --> 55:25.190]  212-209-2950.
[55:25.350 --> 55:29.490]  With those people calling in and continuing to call in for the next few minutes, we'll continue to honor those pledges.
[55:29.610 --> 55:30.770]  Any final words from you guys?
[55:30.910 --> 55:31.430]  Go ahead, Voltaire.
[55:31.550 --> 55:34.490]  We should remind our listeners that you can't get the brain machine anywhere else.
[55:34.670 --> 55:35.010]  That's right.
[55:35.070 --> 55:35.490]  You can't.
[55:35.830 --> 55:39.670]  And that's... Mike saw the prototype.
[55:39.850 --> 55:41.450]  Mitch is designing all kinds of cool things.
[55:41.710 --> 55:43.490]  Mitch, anything else you want to tell the folks?
[55:45.270 --> 55:52.330]  Yeah, well, if people want to find out more about it, the manufactured ones are actually being called trip glasses.
[55:52.790 --> 55:54.350]  So you can look that up online.
[55:55.150 --> 56:01.870]  I'm working on another version, which is more complicated and more comfortable to help people sleep.
[56:02.010 --> 56:08.750]  And that maybe I'll let some BAI and off-the-hook listeners check them out first before the rest of the world, too.
[56:09.090 --> 56:09.330]  Okay.
[56:09.390 --> 56:11.070]  Is there a site you'd like to point people to?
[56:11.890 --> 56:14.630]  Well, Cornfield Electronics is my company.
[56:14.750 --> 56:16.670]  There's a lot of open source projects there.
[56:16.910 --> 56:19.810]  And you can see the brain machine there and pointer to the trip glasses.
[56:20.070 --> 56:22.150]  There's also tripglasses.com.
[56:23.490 --> 56:26.710]  And, you know, tvbegone.com, of course.
[56:27.090 --> 56:27.430]  All right.
[56:28.110 --> 56:33.870]  Well, Mitch, I want to thank you very much for your continued donations to the station and for just doing what you do.
[56:33.950 --> 56:35.550]  It really inspires a lot of people.
[56:36.030 --> 56:39.450]  And those people who want to be part of this, this is your last chance.
[56:39.730 --> 56:41.690]  212-209-2950.
[56:41.910 --> 56:48.390]  Join the many people who have called in this hour to get a brain machine for a $75 pledge and an off-the-hook t-shirt.
[56:49.050 --> 56:51.550]  And for those of you who just want the off-the-hook t-shirt, $25 pledge.
[56:51.650 --> 56:52.350]  Now, Kevin, final word?
[56:52.450 --> 56:55.330]  Just to remind all our listeners, this Friday is the first Friday of the month.
[56:55.330 --> 56:56.670]  So go to your local 2600 meeting.
[56:56.830 --> 56:57.210]  That's right.
[56:57.410 --> 56:57.690]  Wow.
[56:57.850 --> 56:58.350]  How about that?
[56:58.910 --> 56:59.230]  All right.
[56:59.290 --> 56:59.850]  We're out of here.
[57:02.730 --> 57:04.430]  We'll close with another farm-related song.
[57:04.670 --> 57:07.690]  And we'll see you at the meetings and someplace else.
[57:08.510 --> 57:09.970]  212-209-2950.
[57:10.150 --> 57:10.770]  Get those brain machines.
[57:10.910 --> 57:11.030]  Good night.
[57:11.030 --> 57:12.050]  I'm sorry.
[57:12.380 --> 57:29.950]  But I'm feeling sorry That you've been woken up so much And I'm feeling guilty Just talk to me Please talk to me I hardly know you Is it too late To even try?
[57:30.190 --> 57:35.190]  I want to know you Another 20 cent Goodbye
[57:40.060 --> 58:08.760]  I found a payphone And it's busted Another broken hearted But still I pick up the receiver I'm sorry I'm touching someone's Please make this worth it You're all I'm thinking of today I know you're worth it Just talk to me Please talk to me I hardly know you Is it too late To even try?
[58:08.960 --> 58:14.000]  I want to know you Another 20 cent Another 20 cent
[58:18.130 --> 58:35.330]  Goodbye Another 20 cent Goodbye Another 20 cent I hardly know you Is it too late To even try?
[58:35.670 --> 58:46.010]  I want to know you Another 20 cent Goodbye I hardly know you Is it too late To even try?
[58:46.350 --> 58:56.470]  I want to know you Another 20 cent Goodbye I want to know you I want to know you I want to know you I want to know you I want to know you I want to know you I want to know you I want to know you I want to know you