A quiz about 2006

Taking style pointers from William Safire of The New York Times, here’s a multiple-choice quiz about the upcoming year. My guesses are at the bottom. Let me know next year how you did.

1. The FCC’s Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) extensions to IP networks will be

a) approved by the courts.

b) thrown out by the courts.

c) rendered OBE (overtaken by events) by new laws.

d) withdrawn by the FCC.

2. The underlying purpose of the replacement for the current telecommunications law will be to

a) protect incumbent telephone companies.

b) ensure actual competition for users.

c) ensure an open Internet.

d) ensure that the ‘Net can be wiretapped.

3. The stated purpose of the replacement for the current telecommunications law will be to

a) ensure an open Internet.

b) ensure actual competition for users.

c) enable new applications.

d) continue growth of the Internet.

4. SCO will

a) get its case against IBM thrown out by the judge.

b) edge closer to a 2007 trial date.

c) fail to show any examples of protected code.

d) declare (financial) bankruptcy.

5. The U.S. Patent Office will

a) reduce the number of patents with obvious prior art.

b) increase the number of patents with obvious prior art.

c) reduce the time it takes to get a patent.

d) reduce the number of patents for obvious technology.

6. Congress’s data protection and privacy laws will

a) penalize companies that do not protect your data.

b) override strong state laws.

c) require companies to protect your data.

d) prohibit the use of a Social Security number as an identifier (other than by government).

7. AT&T’s new half-billion (or more)-dollar ad campaign will

a) make people forget how bad a phone company the old AT&T was.

b) make people forget how bad a phone company the old SBC was.

c) slow the move of users away from fixed-line phones.

d) enrich an ad company.

8. Intel’s $2 billion ad campaign dropping the Intel Inside logo will

a) show that people did not care what was inside.

b) make people understand and care about what Viiv stands for.

c) keep companies from using other brands of processors.

d) enrich an ad company.

9. Sony’s digital rights management settlement will

a) lead to better DRM regulations.

b) teach other companies to inform their customers about DRM technology.

c) get music companies to think about new business models.

d) help Eliot Spitzer become governor of New York.

10. The number of serious security issues in Windows will be

a) half as many as today.

b) the same number as today.

c) twice as many as today.

d) too many to count.

11. Apple’s Intel-based approach will

a) double its market share.

b) not affect its market share.

c) halve its market share.

d) be broken quickly, permitting the software to run on any Intel platform.

(My guesses: 1 b, 2 a, 3 all, 4 all but b, 5 b, 6 b, 7 d, 8 a and d, 9 d, 10 d, 11 a and d)

Disclaimer: Students take quizzes at Harvard all the time, but few are as silly as this one, which I must confess is my own.

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