TechDirt has a follow up to a case they covered back in October where a law firm was trying to claim a copyright on the cease-and-desist letters they sent out. Public Citizen poked a number of holes in this claim and invited the lawyers to "try it". Well, unfortunately the lawyers decided to bite and what's more, they actually got a judge to buy it. The news was announced by the victorious lawyer who now claims he can sue anytime someone posts one of his cease-and-desist letters. "The copyrighting of cease-and-desist letters is an easy way for law firms to bully small companies who have committed no wrong, but who have no real recourse to fight back against an attempt to shut them up via legal threat. Until today, many companies who were being unfairly attacked by companies and law firms misusing cease-and-desist letters to prevent opinions from being stated, had a reasonable recourse to such attacks, and could draw attention to law firms that used such bullying tactics to mute any criticism."
This 1500 volt proto-taser glove was spotlighted in the September, 1935 ish of Modern Mechanix: MORE punch than can be found in a box-glove is contained in a new electric glove invented by Cirilo... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 11:31 am
This 1500 volt proto-taser glove was spotlighted in the September, 1935 ish of Modern Mechanix:
MORE punch than can be found in a box-glove is contained in a new electric glove invented by Cirilo Diaz of Cuba for use by police while handling rough characters or in quelling riots. Persons contacted by an officer wearing the glove receive a 1,500-volt shock, sufficient to remove all traces of fight. A half-pound battery worn on the belt supplies the power, all wiring being concealed beneath the coat.
John Lupien forwarded me a ton of photos of these beautiful motorcycle sculptures made from watch parts. Unfortunately, he didn't know the artist's name -- and it doesn't appear anywhere on the pics, nor did my googling turn up any likely leads. Who made these things? What's the URL? Where do I buy one? Leave your answers in the comments.
Link
(Thanks, John!)
John Lupien forwarded me a ton of photos of these beautiful motorcycle sculptures made from watch parts. Unfortunately, he didn't know the artist's name -- and it doesn't appear anywhere on the pics,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 11:27 am
Today in my ongoing series of photos from my travels over the years: a shot from inside the Haunted Barrel Works spook-house in Toronto's Centreville on Centre Island. The Haunted Barrel Works was my first-ever spook-house, and I love it for all its cheesy, graffiti-spattered, malodorous glories, especially the "hippie" mannequin with his anachronistic "Roachdale or bust" sign.
Link
Today in my ongoing series of photos from my travels over the years: a shot from inside the Haunted Barrel Works spook-house in Toronto's Centreville on Centre Island. The Haunted Barrel Works was... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 9:40 am
The World Economic Forum at Davos: 3,000 or so world leaders, celebrities and top CEOs (and a couple of bloggers) gather to discuss the major issues of the day. At one end of the Congress Center is the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 9:39 am
The NPD group, owners of the not-quite-as-popular-as-they-had-hoped HD-DVD format, attempted to battle back against the tide of "naysayers" who claim that the format war is over and have declared Blu-Ray Disc the winner. "While select articles have implied that HD-DVD as a format is doomed and the sky is falling for the format's supporters, the NPD Group this afternoon reinforced that sales results from a single week do not necessarily indicate a trend, and that the week in question had several intriguing variables that have gone unreported."
Do text messages disappear like oral conversations or are they permanently logged somewhere for potential retrieval like e-mail usually is? A good question raised by the Associated Press . "For standard... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 9:23 am
Love these modded steampunk Nerf guns -- you'd be sure to outclass all the other cubicle warriors with your foamy blunderbuss. Link ( Thanks, Brett! ) ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 9:06 am
Striking writers for The Colbert Report and The Daily Show masterminded a brilliant comedy mock-hearing on the Hollywood writers' strike, including an arch (and brilliant) meta-moment where they disrupted... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 9:02 am
Striking writers for The Colbert Report and The Daily Show masterminded a brilliant comedy mock-hearing on the Hollywood writers' strike, including an arch (and brilliant) meta-moment where they disrupted their own hearing with nonsensical grandstanding from seeming participants.
On one side, in shirts, was the striking Writers Guild of America, played by "Daily Show" writers Rob Kutner, Tim Carvell and Jason Ross. On the other side, in suits, was the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, played by "The Colbert Report" writers Michael Brumm, Peter Grosz and Tom Purcell.
Crashing out of the starting gates, the shirts argued it would cost the suits less than 1% of their total revenue to give the writers everything they wanted. For Paramount Pictures, that comes to $4.6 million, or "half the amount it takes to get Reese Witherspoon into a movie."
"I ask you," one writer noted, "which is more important to a movie -- a script, or half of Reese Witherspoon?"
Sarah "Buffy" Michelle Gellar is vowing to finish her film adaptation of the brilliant and twisted American McGee's Alice video game -- I'd pay money to see that. Talk about three great tastes that taste... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:58 am
Sarah "Buffy" Michelle Gellar is vowing to finish her film adaptation of the brilliant and twisted American McGee's Alice video game -- I'd pay money to see that. Talk about three great tastes that taste great together!
But Gellar said that she hasn't given up on developing the game as a movie. "It's still my project, and I'm still working diligently. So to all those Alice fans, I'm not giving up. Because I believe there is such a beautiful, crazy, cool, twisted story to be told there."
Calling the movie "the frustration of my life," Gellar joked: "I'll do it if I have to get down and write it myself one of these days. I may have to."
Sharpshooters will take to the trees next week in northern New Jersey's South Mountain Reservation to deal with a problem that has become the scourge of many suburban communities: too... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:57 am
Last night, I got to go to a cultural dinner with a dozen artists scattered around the room: pick your person, pick your medium. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma was at the table behind; Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:57 am
American Airlines this week introduced a mobile version of its Web site in hopes of improving the customer experience for its passengers. Customers will be able to check in for flights and view... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:56 am
A German software engineer is being honoured by the National Museum of Computing for deciphering an encrypted radio message faster than Colossus, the British Second World War... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:47 am
Here's a delish-sounding recipe for "Red Eye Rice Treats" -- caffeinated vegan rice-krispie squares that give you the pep you need to make it through the day:
6 cups puffed brown rice [any puffed rice will do, really]
1 cup peanut butter [I scored a few jars of White Chocolate Peanut Butter & Co for cheap, so I used up the rest of mine: creamy might be your best bet, no matter what]
1 cup brown sugar corn syrup [or brown rice syrup, organic light corn syrup…if you want maple syrup, I’d recommend going the half/half way by mixing it up with granulated sugar or rather fine other sugar]
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1 t instant coffee crystals, crushed into a fine powder with the back of a spoon [up this a bit if you want a stronger coffee flavor, 2 t maximum to avoid overwhelming the other flavors]
1/3 cup carob powder [if you’re a hater, I’m sure cocoa powder would be a fine substitution here]
You could probably substitute agave syrup for the corn syrup (blending it with something?) to get a super-low-GI version.
Link
(via Craft)
A campaign is afoot to build a memorial to Voytek, a soldier-bear who fought alongside the Polish army at the Battle of Monte Cassino, carrying ammunition. After the war, Voytek lived out his days in the Edinburgh Zoo, occasionally visited by his old army buddies who tried to slip him the cigarettes and beer he'd come to enjoy while serving in the army.
When Polish forces were deployed to Europe the only way to take the bear with them was to "enlist" him.
So he was given a name, rank and number and took part in the Italian campaign.
He saw action at Monte Cassino before being billeted - along with about 3,000 other Polish troops - at the army camp in the Scottish Borders.
The soldiers who were stationed with him say that he was easy to get along with.
"He was just like a dog - nobody was scared of him," said Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, who still lives near the site of the camp.
Issue 7 of Sean Tejaratchi's seminal clip-art zine CRAP HOUND is just about to hit the stands, thanks to the good folks at Portland's Reading Frenzy, a zine store par excellance. CRAP HOUND plunders its graphics from hundreds of sources and then features them in gorgeous, endlessly fascinating mosaics and layouts. Issue 7's theme is CHURCH AND STATE, and judging by the cover, it looks like a doozy.
Crap Hound #7: Church & State, 96 pgs., 2 color cover, b/w interior, offset printed, suggested retail price of $12. This is the first all new issue of Crap Hound in 9 years! A pure but lucky coincidence makes this issue particularly apropos, as we're in an election year with a candidate declaring his intention to rewrite the constitution according to "God's standards"!
Cattle wander among earth-covered bunkers that dot the landscape just west of this tiny rural town. The bunkers are remnants of a Naval ammunition depot that produced bombs during World... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:28 am
A Missouri grandfather surfs the Web, sometimes making contact with sexual predators he helps bust. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:00 am
A procedure using bone marrow weans kidney recipients off anti-rejection medications which can produce side effects. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:00 am
European regulators are expected to follow the U.S. lead on the Web giant's buyout of ad firm DoubleClick. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:00 am
Millions of fingers scurrying over mobile electronic devices probably paused this week as news emerged of a trove of text messages containing flirty and sexually explicit chat between Detroit Mayor Kwame... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 8:00 am
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese consumer electronics maker Sanyo Electric Co Ltd plans to dissolve its television development joint venture with Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc , the Nikkei... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 7:40 am
penguin_dance writes "Ready to put on your thinking cap? There's a report out of the UK regarding an 'experimental helmet which scientists say could reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease within weeks of being used'. The helmet is to be worn for ten minutes every day and stimulates the growth of brain cells using infra-red light. The article explains, 'Low level infra-red red is thought to stimulate the growth of cells of all types of tissue and encourage their repair. It is able to penetrate the skin and even get through the skull.' Human trials are due to start this summer." I wont make any nomad-based predictions, but I'll remain on the skeptic side of the fence for now.
At dusk on New Year's Eve, Erika Gunderson got into a taxi in New York City and entered a digital-age mystery. Sitting on the back seat was a nice Canon digital camera. Gunderson asked the driver which... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 7:01 am
SOME 26 years ago, when Robert Pai joined Sylvanias fluorescent technology laboratories, he and his fellow researchers did not think much about compact fluorescents. They were more interested in solving... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 6:36 am
The author of ATSC capture and edit tool has announced that he is attempting to revoke the licensing of his product under the GPL General Public License. Unfortunately it appears that the GPL does not allow this particular action. Of course in this heyday of lawyers and trigger happy litigators who can tell. What successes have others had in trying to take something they once operated under the GPL and make it private? And the more pressing question, why?
Researchers find evidence of a 2,300-year-old eruption and believe heat from the mountain could be playing a small role in the melting of a massive floe. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 3:59 am
gnick writes to mention Wired is reporting that an Illinois startup is claiming they can make ethanol from most any organic material for around $1/gallon. Coskata, backed by General Motors and several other investors, uses a process that is bacteria based instead of some of the other available methods. The bacteria processes organic material that is fed into the reactor and secretes ethanol as a waste product.
LONDON (Reuters) - Police in Scotland have set up a Web site to allow the public to meet their newest, and cutest, recruit as he learns how to sniff out criminals. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 2:16 am
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Samples of rock dust retrieved from a comet called Wild 2 are forcing scientists to alter they way they think about these intriguing objects that streak through our... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 2:11 am
ON Monday, Barry Ritholtz, the chief executive of the research firm Fusion IQ and the author of the popular blog the Big Picture, criticized what he called the Long and Wrong crowd people who insist on... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 1:35 am
If there's one thing I love, it's academics who take on the work of investigative journalism, because they are dogged Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 1:19 am
Solid-state drives are increasingly an option for laptop purchasers -- but while manufacturers are pushing the option, few consumers are taking the bait.
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Warner Bros. Records is suing SeeqPod, the music search engine, in an attempt to test the limits of the DMCA Safe Harbor provisions with a theory of contributory, vicarious and inducement liability. While other services like Last.fm have cut deals with the labels, SeeqPod relied on the DMCA Safe Harbor alone to protect it. According to the complaint [PDF] SeeqPod 'deliberately refrains' from adding simple yet ineffective content filters to screen out copyright infringing materials, presumably by not buying those filters from label-affiliated companies. Of course, this lawsuit is merely part of a recent trend seeking to move the responsibility for policing copyrights away from the copyright holders and on to third parties."
Orange County's new high-tech water-treatment plant takes the water that residents throw away, eradicates the junk and sends it back into the ground for drinking. Sound gross? Plant representatives say it's more pure than that fancy bottled water you buy in the store.
Hackers trying to take down the website of the Church of Scientology instead accidentally turned their online weapons on a Dutch school Friday. The loose assortment of "script kiddies" are trying to destroy the Church of Scientology for its strange and litigious ways.
More than three million acres in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska would be open to logging under a federal plan that supporters believe will revive the states struggling timber industry. Environmentalists,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 12:37 am
chief of staff were saved and revealed. THE TECHNOLOGY: The messages were sent through devices from Mississippi-based wireless company SkyTel, whose two-way paging technology is more... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 26 Jan 2008 | 12:22 am
What makes a great game? A development team with a cohesive artistic approach. Otherwise you end up with the dread design-by-committee -- and an ultimately forgettable experience). Commentary by Clive Thompson.
An automatic face recognition system is much more accurate when it "looks" at a face created by merging several photos of the same person into one average image, according to a... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 25 Jan 2008 | 11:05 pm
Men who claim female tastes can change with the seasons will take solace from an ornithological study in Colorado where the theory appears to have been scientifically... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 25 Jan 2008 | 11:05 pm
Medical experts believe they could have found the key to turning back the brain's biological clock and reversing the effects of dementia and memory loss. Pioneering... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 25 Jan 2008 | 11:05 pm
This week the US Patent and Trademark Office issued a surprisingly (although I guess it shouldn't be) broad patent for a "mobile entertainment and communication device". Upon closer inspection you may notice that it pretty much outlines the ubiquitous smartphone concept. "It's a patent for a mobile phone with removable storage, an internet connection, a camera and the ability to download audio or video files. The patent holding firm who has the rights to this patent wasted no time at all. At 12:01am Tuesday morning, it filed three separate lawsuits against just about everyone you can think of, including Apple, Nokia, RIM, Sprint, ATT, HP, Motorola, Helio, HTC, Sony Ericsson, UTStarcomm, Samsung and a bunch of others. Amusingly, the company actually first filed the lawsuits on Monday, but realized it was jumping the gun and pulled them, only to refile just past the stroke of midnight. "
NASA's new Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, scheduled for completion in May, could help scientists learn more about the mysterious gamma rays generated in "staggeringly distant" galaxies.
BoingBoing is reporting that a new robotic assistant may soon be able to help you find your way the next time you are lost in a mall or a supermarket. The latest demonstration from the Osaka-based Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATR) showcased "Robovie", a semi-humanoid robot designed to monitor up to 20 people at a time and classify each person's behavior into one of 10 categories (waiting, wandering, walking fast, etc). Whenever it was able to classify someone as disoriented it would approach them and ask "are you lost", if the answer was yes it provided directions, otherwise it just recommended nearby shops and restaurants.
A pack-of-gum sized audio player sports 2 GB of flash memory, FM radio, data storage, LED display, EQ controls and voice recording ... all for less than $100.
A pack-of-gum sized audio player sports 2 GB of flash memory, FM radio, data storage, LED display, EQ controls and voice recording ... all for less than $100.
An anonymous reader writes "Another fight appears to be brewing in Switzerland over how file sharers are identified. Logistep, a company that specializes in anti-piracy by collecting computer evidence against file sharers for use in lawsuits, seems to have taken an end run around Swiss law in order to try and settle cases out of court. 'Under Swiss law, the identity of a subscriber to an ISP (Internet service provider) can only be revealed during the course of a criminal case, not a civil one, Schaefer said. The IP (Internet Protocol) address of a computer controlled by the subscriber is considered "personal" information. In order to try to claim damages from people suspected of trading songs or movies, Logistep has asked Swiss prosecutors to open criminal cases, Schaefer said. As the criminal cases progresses, Logistep receives information from prosecutors that identifies the file sharer.'"
In this 2.5-minute exclusive video, outspoken Seagate CEO Bill Watkins tackles Blu-ray versus HD-DVD; Apple's integration of hardware, software and content; and Americans' willingness to watch bad video. Plus, he offers his predictions on the likelihood of recession in 2008.
Like2Byte writes "CNN is reporting that a US Marine that lost both his legs in Iraq is now able to walk again by using bluetooth technology to coordinate his leg movement. The two legs communicate to keep the man in motion. ' [...] Computer chips in each leg send signals to motors in the artificial joints so the knees and ankles move in a coordinated fashion. Bleill's set of prosthetics [legs] have Bluetooth receivers strapped to the ankle area. The Bluetooth device on each leg tells the other leg what it's doing, how it's moving, whether walking, standing or climbing steps, for example.'"
In this podcast, Wired's Gadget Lab team reviews Nokia's new E90 phone/internet communicator, a new Dyson vacuum cleaner, an espresso machine from Jura and the MacBook Air.
In this podcast, Wired's Gadget Lab team reviews Nokia's new E90 phone/internet communicator, a new Dyson vacuum cleaner, an espresso machine from Jura and the MacBook Air.
MORE punch than can be found in a box-glove is contained in a new electric glove invented by Cirilo Diaz of Cuba for use by police while handling rough characters or in quelling riots. Persons contacted by an officer wearing the glove receive a 1,500-volt shock, sufficient to remove all traces of fight. A half-pound battery worn on the belt supplies the power, all wiring being concealed beneath the coat.
But Gellar said that she hasn't given up on developing the game as a movie. "It's still my project, and I'm still working diligently. So to all those Alice fans, I'm not giving up. Because I believe there is such a beautiful, crazy, cool, twisted story to be told there."
6 cups puffed brown rice [any puffed rice will do, really]
When Polish forces were deployed to Europe the only way to take the bear with them was to "enlist" him.
