Could Apple and ATT have been lying to us?

They said it couldn’t be done. They said the radio simply wouldn’t allow it. But that, as it turns out, is hooey. Despite Apple’s protestations to the contrary, it appears that the original iPhone is perfectly capable of sending and receiving Multimedia Messages (MMS).

Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s necessarily an above-board way to, in the words of Jean-Luc Picard, make it so. However, if you happen to have jailbroken your phone and have access to the Cydia installer, you can find an application called, intuitively enough, ActivateMMS2G.

Now, your results may vary, and even if you do manage to get MMS enabled, its use may be limited by your wireless provider, so, as always, proceed at your own risk. The package also advises not installing on the 3G or 3GS, so, well, don't.

Frankly, Apple’s claim always seemed to be a little suspect to me. There are plenty of cheap and free phones on the market that handle MMS adroitly and have been doing so for years—you’re telling me that one of the most advanced smartphones on the market in 2007 couldn’t deal with sending picture messages?

And still we continue to await AT&T completing whatever strange and sinister incantations and rituals are required to get MMS on the iPhone 3G and 3GS. My life will not be complete until I can send pictures of my cat doing funny things to everybody I have ever met.

Yes, these people do exist.

Serial-Numbers-We-Love-You

I type in my share of cryptic serial numbers. Product registrations, software keys, warranty info–any number of associated features and services are often only accessible by entering in a series of letters and numbers. And over the years, I’ve developed an opinion or two about them. Here are some:

First, do serial numbers have to be so long? If you’re Adobe and you’re protecting an entire suite of products, well then, OK. You have a big product. But a children’s toy or a power tool? If you have a kid on your lap, do you really want a parent to type LL95-TG6H-ES64-G9D7-XTS7-MX96-3JAA??? I say, if someone is able to hack the Beanie Babies 2.0 code system, they’ve earned their virtual stuffed animal. Keep in mind that the IRS tracks the entire US Population with just nine numerical characters.

Second, PLEASE stop mixing numerals like zero or one, with letters like lower case l or captital O. They both look the same and I can’t tell which is which.

Third, make the code you want REALLY OBVIOUS in the packaging. Too frequently, I get a box full printed matter, each with an assortment of numerals. We often don’t know the difference between a UPC, WebID, or the 56 other random sets of numbers included with the product. If you require a code, make it obvious.

Finally, stop waterboarding my brain with a form that asks me to fill in my name, pets name, mother’s birthplace, and the place where my great Aunt Alice first tasted ice cream before submitting me to a 34 character typing test, only to give me an error, and making me start from scratch. At the very least, let me prove my validity to you up front, and then treat me with the dignity worthy of a paying customer.

Anyone else fed up? Then join me, by registering at my free Web site, Just use the serial number 100looI-o0ol1lii7H65-sdf*^@(&%^-$/25565xylt-34-ZTstr (it is case sensitive).

A few props to fortunes!

After reading this fortune, I am taking these numbers to and going to Vagas...Vegus...Veges.. That place where you can win money.

More props to Chinese English (Engrish I think it is called)!

This is quite the airline!

Some folks will do anything to prevent the swine flu.

Gotta love the Chinese.

Perhaps my favorite name.

Some Last Names Rock. Can you imagine.

Virus Alert!!!!!!

Is the devil you know—and expect—better than the one you don't?

Consider this: You run into person No. 1—let's call her Melissa—on the street. Without warning, Melissa hits you in the face and then proceeds to beat you up as you lie on the ground.

Then, person No. 2, Michelangelo, walks up to you and calmly states that in two weeks time, at exactly 2 p.m., he will beat you up. Then he walks away.

Now, while neither is a pleasant scenario, I have a feeling that the majority of people would rather run into Michelangelo than Melissa.

While there is definitely fear and trepidation about the impending date Michelangelo gives you, at least you can do something about it. You could make sure that a couple of big friends are with you at the appointed time, or take martial arts training, or notify the authorities, or just get out of town. At least you can prepare in some way. With Melissa, you are down on the pavement getting beaten up before you even know what hit you (literally).

Likewise, it's easier to deal with a computer virus or worm that purports to hit on a certain day rather than one that just hits. The latter is the one you really need to worry about.

But, strangely enough, people take the opposite attitude with these viruses. Try to tell someone about a dangerous new virus, and you're likely to get little interest. You'll get responses like, "Yep, I hear those viruses are nasty. That reminds me, I need to patch my system and update my anti-virus—maybe I can get around to that next week."

However, if you say that the same virus will hit on a specific date—say, April 1—people get a lot more interested. "Wow, it's like a time bomb! What do I have to do to protect my system right away?!" Hence the seven-hundred email warnings I got this week!!!!!

To a large degree, this phenomenon is driven by those in the media. Tell a reporter, especially a general media reporter, about a dangerous new virus, and he or she will see it as just another in a long line of viruses. But tell the reporter that the virus will do something dastardly on a specific date, and suddenly the reporter is much more interested in telling the story.

Oh well, if you can't beat them, join them. Maybe those in the security community should embrace this time bomb obsession and regularly report that there are viruses and worms that will take effect on a specific date.

I can see it now. People, I must warn you—there's a dangerous virus out there. [Snore.] It will steal data from your computer and compromise your identity. [Whatever.] Ummm, it will also find every embarrassing picture and e-mail on your system and send them to your parents. [Uh oh!] And it will look at your iTunes list and tell all your cool friends that your favorite artist is Engelbert Humperdinck. [Oh no!] And it will take effect on Mother's Day! [Ahhhh! Call IT—we need to protect my system!]

OK, if you did this you would be fudging the truth a bit. But it might get people to pay attention to security. And that's definitely better than an unexpected punch in the face. It might also save me the hundreds of forwarded emails warning me of this terrible virus.