Receiving your address on my tv

[Bill Moran]

questions at freebsd.org is a mailing list.  Please keep the mailing list
CCed on all replies.

sylvia bowman <sylviabow at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Thanks for answering my email.  Believe me this is not a joke.  It's
> driving me crazy.  My tv is hooked up to Cox Cable in Las Vegas, NV.
> The channel I'm receiving the message on is CBS.  The address looks
> something like this:  <http://>[n:][e:2000101][8A41]

What makes you think this address has anything to do with FreeBSD?

> I've received other addressess also, but you are the first ones kind
> enough to answer me.  It begins with a solid black square that almost
> completely fills the screen.  Then your address scrolls across the top
> of the screen.  When that one is complete, the same address scrolls
> across the screen under the first.  It continues until it reaches the
> bottom.  They just keep moving up and new ones are added at the bottom.
> If I click a volume button the addresses stop for a few seconds and then
> start up again.  I've tried to tape it because everybody else is asleep
> and no one believes me, but it won't tape.  When I play the tape back I
> just get a blurry screen.

This is almost definately a problem with Cox.  As bizaar as it sounds,
somehow it doesn't suprise me.  However, I'm sure you got the other
emails ... most folks on the mailing list assumed this was some sort
of joke.  I can't blame them, it sounds pretty silly/crazy.

However, most cable companies are using the Internet to transfer their
data around.  Just like it's possible to crack a MS Windows machine to
steal informatin from it, it's probably possible to crack Cox's equipment
as well.

If I were you, I would contact Cox and bitch them out.  Even if someone
on the Internet has managed to crack Cox's system to push data to you
that they shouldn't be allowed to, it's _Cox_ responsibility to fix
it.  You may have to use a video camera to capture what's happening, as
it's very possible that it's occuring in such a way that your VCR can't
capture it.

However, it's almost definately not related to FreeBSD, and thus you're
unlikely to get very much useful assistance from this mailing list.
Despite the fact that Cox is likely not to believe you, then deny that
there is a problem, those are the people you need to speak with to get
it fixed.  Be persistant.  If you can't get a response from them, call
the local news station and see if they'll be willing to do an expose ...
news crews love stuff like this.

> Bill Moran <wmoran at potentialtech.com> wrote:sylvia bowman wrote:
> 
> > I am receiving your email address on my television screen. It happens
> > late on Saturday evenings. Can you address this situation, please.
> > Sylvia Bowman
> 
> I'm assuming this isn't a joke ...
> 
> This is about the most unlikely thing I've ever heard of. However, if it
> really is happening, you're going to have to give a better description of
> what you mean. Are you saying that on Saturday evenings your TV screen
> says "questions at freebsd.org"? Or that you see FreeBSD emails on your
> screen?
> 
> Are you using some sort of webTV?

-- 
Bill Moran
Potential Technologies
http://www.potentialtech.com