a tinfoil moment

[lynnertic]

Now, just because events occur in sequence doesn't mean that one causes another.

BUT:

Skype (a free, foreign-based VOIP provider) has been down for the last couple of days.

Other services have been down the last couple of days too, sporadically:
a spate of foreign websites.
a few different data centers (who knows where they are).

Congress permitted warrantless (meaning unlimited?) wiretapping late July and in mid-August services mysteriously go down.

I bet that certain auxiliary wiretapping services are just now being brought online.

Better watch what you say, before someone else has to...

On Edit: perhaps the Peruvian earthquake affected access to foriegn sites?

[MissWaverly]

1. i have a pay as you go cell phone

every time I buy minutes, I put in a gazillion numbers to continue my service and minutes, this month I entered my model number
and they asked for my cell phone number on the web site and they updated my phone, presto chango. Why would they go to
such trouble for a throw away phone? I think my cell phone is now in a database somewhere.

[zabet]

3. Me too...

and where it normally is just buying a card, entering the number and
automatically getting minutes, the last card I purchased added my minutes
but instead of getting a text message verification, I got a phone call.
The call did not take any of the time off of my phone oddly enough but,
the call was to 'verify' my info, address etc. :shrug:
edited to add: My phone, less than a 1 and 1/2 old, will no longer work..
had to buy a new phone with a sim card.

[MissWaverly]

7. yes, very interesting, reminds me of my niece

she had to have a criminal background check to go down to the Gulf Coast to be a Red Cross volunteer
and hand out water bottles. Methinks your new cell phone probably has even more features to make
it easier for tracking. America, land of free, home of the brave.

[TomInTib]

4. I often get blocks of deleted voicemails that are months old.

Usually, an entire month's worth (as in Oct 1-31) of messages that I have deleted.

There must be a huge data-base out there.

[MissWaverly]

6. yes, I heard they can keep em for up to a year or 18 months

can't remember which.

[liberal N proud]

2. Start clipping coupons

Every time you are on the phone with someone, before you hang up read the value of the coupon. Just the numbers do not say if is is dollars, cents or percent. A $.40 coupon would just be 40.
Then read the expiration date 3 29 08

Once you read that coupon get another ready for the next phone call.

Reading the numbers will que them and they will be collecting data that amounts to nothing.

[Az]

5. Na, its nothing so nefarious

Simply put there is not a lot of invasive stuff they have to do to tap the internet. Nothing certainly that would take down the system for any real length of time.

I say this as a network administrator.