DavidHumus writes "According to a Wall St. Journal article top executives at most companies fail to recognize the value of IT, having a tendency to think of information technology as a basic utility, like plumbing or telephone service. The article lists five primary reasons for 'the wall' between IT and business: 'mind-set differences between management staff and IT staff, language differences, social influences, flaws in IT governance (defined as the specification and control of IT decision rights), and the difficulty of managing rapidly changing technology.' Does this fully explain the extreme lack of understanding of IT at high executive levels? The article is even-handed in apportioning blame but touches on a few good points. In particular, how '[m]ost top executives ... think of IT as an expensive headache that they'd rather not deal with.'"
iPass has released its latest semi-annual statistics: The company is looking for a little attention, of course, but they provide a relatively huge amount of data (relative to everyone else in the industry)... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 1:00 pm
Hollywood took a big step Tuesday toward offering more movies in 3-D, announcing deals to convert as many as 10,000 more theater screens for the digital technology needed to accommodate... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 12:35 pm
My latest Guardian column just went live: "Time to fight security superstition." It talks about the growing number of strictures on talking about, recording, and arguing with the security measures in our society, and how this makes us all less safe:
Unfortunately, today's security cheerleaders have regressed to a more superstitious era, a time from before Bletchley Park's wizards won the second world war. The public isn't supposed to take photographs of CCTV cameras in case this knowledge can be used against them (despite the fact that surely terrorists can memorise their locations).
We can't mention terrorist attacks at the airport while we're being subjected to systematic anti-dignity depredations; your bank won't let you open an account with a passport – you need to supply a laser-printed utility bill as well ("to prevent money laundering" … you can just hear Osama's chief forgers gnashing their teeth for lack of a piece of A4).
The superstitions that grip airport checkpoints and banks are themselves a threat to security, because the security that does not admit of examination and discussion is no security at all.
If terrorists are a danger to London, then the only way to be safe is to talk about real threats and real countermeasures, to question the security around us and shut down the systems that don't work.
The Narrative Fallacy writes "The LA Times has an interesting story on the state of Wikipedia's finances and how with 300 million page views a day, the organization could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars if it sold advertising space. Without advertising the foundation has a tough time raising its annual budget of $4.6 million. The 45,000 or so individuals who contribute annually give an average of $33 each, so campaigns, which are conducted online, raise only about one-third of what's needed. As Wikimedia adds features to its pages, such as videos, costs will rise. 'Without financial stability and strong planning, the foundation runs the risk of needing to take drastic steps at some point in the next couple years,' said Nathan Awrich, a Wikipedia editor who supports advertising."
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Top contract chip maker TSMC and two other Taiwan chip makers began work on Tuesday on new plants for a T$450 billion ($14.7 billion) complex that TSMC said is part of a Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 12:12 pm
GENEVA (Reuters) - Of the four major international auto shows each year, Geneva is the one best known for its focus on style, with big and small design houses sharing the spotlight... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:55 am
Your phone is now a broadcasting implement. MyVox is opening up a new set of APIs today that will let Web developers add voice notes and audio advertising to any Web application. Instead of making people... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:30 am
MOBE2001 writes "There is widespread disagreement among experts on how best to design and program multicore processors, according to the EE Times. Some, like senior AMD fellow, Chuck Moore, believe that the industry should move to a new model based on a multiplicity of cores optimized for various tasks. Others disagree on the ground that heterogeneous processors would be too hard to program. The only emerging consensus seems to be that multicore computing is facing a major crisis. In a recent EE Times article titled 'Multicore puts screws to parallel-programming models', AMD's Chuck Moore is reported to have said that 'the industry is in a little bit of a panic about how to program multicore processors, especially heterogeneous ones.'"
Britain is subject to more security measures every day - but we must be able to question their effectiveness, says Cory Doctorow Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:21 am
A Tucson-based conservation group is suing to force a federal agency's decision on listing polar bears as an endangered species, an action that could lead to the first U.S. restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:05 am
The US space shuttle Endeavour launches from Cape Canaveral in Florida to eventually dock with the International Space Station Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:03 am
KENT, Wash., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- PureAyre(R) is now on the shelves at all Walgreens and PETCO stores nationwide. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Wang, Li Kolar, Praveen; Kastner, James R; Herner, Brian ABSTRACT Although aldehydes contribute to ozone and particulate matter formation, there has been little research on the biofiltration of these volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially as mixtures. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Szpaller, Keila The air in Missoula might not be so stinky this spring. Over the years, dozens and dozens of people have complained to the Missoula City-County Health Department about a stench on the west side of town near Mullan and Reserve streets. A composting business. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
TAMPA BAY, Fla., March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- News briefs concerning the economic and business growth in the Tampa Bay Region from the Tampa Bay Partnership: Tampa International Airport Hangar Deal Creates Up To 410 Jobs Up to 410 new jobs could be created at Tampa International Airport (TIA) in the next two years with the recent approval of a lease agreement Pemco World Air Services Inc. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Backus, Perry HAMILTON - An upcoming symposium hosted by the Bitterroot Valley's Big Sky Coalition will offer people a chance to learn about new technologies coming on line to convert biomass into biofuels. The daylong symposium is set for March 1 at the Hamilton fairgrounds. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Victoria Advocate, Texas Mar. 11--A 38-year-old Brazoria County man is dead in what police are calling an accidental drowning Saturday in Port O'Connor. Michael Robert Chaney and two friends were visiting at Sunday Beach on the day of the incident. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Laura Barnhardt, The Baltimore Sun Mar. 11--A county library and community center are planned for Arbutus at a site rejected by Baltimore County officials several years ago because of residents' opposition. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Jason Pesick RIALTO - The good news for customers of Rialto's water system is that the city has started settling its expensive legal battles against suspected water polluters. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Anonymous Two Utah lawmakers say a plan by a New York congressman and a Utahbased environmental group to "lock away" more than nine million acres of land in Utah as wilderness would "lead America to become more dependent on energy from hostile foreign nations," some of which they say "fund terrorist organizations that are right now targeting our American men and women in uniform." In a letter sent recentiy to more than 160,000 Utah residents, State Representatives Aaron Tilton (R-UT65) and Mike Noel (R-UT-73) warned that a bill in Congress sponsored by New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and pushed by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) would weaken America and "would cost Utah hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues that help fund our local communities and schools because it will lock away much of Utah's valuable mineral resource from environmentally sound development." The bill proposed by Hinchey, H.R. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Tom Incantalupo, Newsday, Melville, N.Y. Mar. 11--Port Washington-based Systemax Inc. Monday reported record sales, operating earnings and net earnings for the fourth quarter and all of last year. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Michelle Lim; Nurul`Aini Nuraqilah Ismail HOE of Taman Tun Dr Ismail is unhappy that the computer she bought before Chinese New Year is giving her problems. She says Microsoft Vista that was downloaded into her RM3,269 Dell computer is undermining her work. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
IBM has introduced the Compliance Warehouse for Legal Control, an integrated offering that enables organizations to comply with multiple legal and compliance mandates. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
IBM has signed a two-year agreement with Hitachi that will see the companies implement a joint semiconductor metrology research program aimed at improving IBM's semiconductor technology. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
Echovox, Inc, a leading multinational mobile media solutions provider servicing some of the world's largest media groups, today announced that Ned Walley has joined the company as General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Zong. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
Microsoft is set to boost its online privacy capabilities with the acquisition of Credentica's U-Prove technology for an undisclosed sum. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Melissa Santos, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. Mar. 11--A bill to increase training requirements and regulations for bounty hunters in Washington state is headed to the governor's desk. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Tom Angleberger tomangleberger@yahoo.com Q: I have been going through some of my deceased father's belongings and have found snapshots he took during World War II while stationed in Germany in 1944-45. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
By Gary Stoller Paper airline tickets are heading for extinction abroad, and they're becoming increasingly rare in the USA. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
FAREHAM, England, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- 3BILL, the mobile division of Symbios Group, has confirmed today that it has acquired leading social network platform - http://www.faces.com/ The acquisition includes all of the assets owned by the company, transfer of the lucrative domain http://www.faces.com/, user base and the intellectual property operating the platform. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Mar 2008 | 11:00 am
If youre a fan of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band, weve got a T-shirt for you. The design on this tee bears a striking resemblance to the faux guitar that comes with those, games so youre guaranteed to... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 10:35 am
The downfall of Eliot Spitzer certainly generated a lot of joking on wall street, twitter, and elsewhere yesterday. I plead quilty to a private email with a client #9 joke myself. But mostly I feel pained... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 10:34 am
One handy thing about staying in hotels is the personalised wake-up call from reception that you can arrange. Now, you can bring this experience home to you with the Hotel Phone Alarm Clock. Wake up... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 10:14 am
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's MIG aircraft corporation has signed a $1 billion contract with India to upgrade 64 MIG-29 fighters it had previously sold to the country, Interfax news agency... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 10:11 am
Lisa sez, "I've been working these past few weeks on this installation with Electric Sheep artist Spot Draves. He and Second Life 3-D artist Somatika Xiao (a.k.a. David Stumbaugh) have put together an... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 10:10 am
Lisa sez, "I've been working these past few weeks on this installation with Electric
Sheep artist Spot Draves. He and Second Life 3-D artist Somatika Xiao
(a.k.a. David Stumbaugh) have put together an incredible interactive art
exhibit in Second Life. We're having an opening this
Thursday night - March 13th, with Spot there live at 7pm.
I've just posted the first
part of a multi-part interview with him that explains the nuts and
bolts behind his incredible art."
Link
(Thanks, Lisa!)
By Luke Anderson Belkin is well-known for their vast selection of PC peripherals and surge protectors. While they’ve made many surge protectors and power strips, they are still finding ways to improve... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 9:50 am
By Luke Anderson I’ve been wondering for some time why we use cool technologies like biometric scanning for securing digital files, yet we rarely see it for physical storage units. I no longer have... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 9:48 am
The annual Locus Magazine Poll and Survey is online and anyone can participate. The Locus Poll tries to take the global temperature of science fiction, gathering detailed, long-running stats on the state of the field and its readership. It's also the basis for the Locus Award, science fiction's most-participated-in popular award (I'm up in two categories this year: Best Novella for After the Siege; and Best Short Story Collection for Overclocked).
Link
The annual Locus Magazine Poll and Survey is online and anyone can participate. The Locus Poll tries to take the global temperature of science fiction, gathering detailed, long-running stats on the state... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 9:44 am
By Andrew Liszewski This H4 ‘Handy Recorder’ has a lot of things going for it. Not only does it look cool with its wire cage protected dual electret condenser mics, but it’s also extremely... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 9:44 am
Charlie Stross has compiled Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual-style guides to the Republican and Democrat presidential nominees -- lotsa yuks!
John McCain (Demon Prince of Republicans.) (Lesser God.)
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO APPEARING: 1
ARMOUR CLASS: -7
MOVE: 3" (72" per flight sector on the campaign jet)
HIT DICE: 200 hit points (But first you have to defeat 4d8 Secret Service Agents)
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: All your NATO base are belong to us!
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Invades Iran. Takes 100d20 casualties in first strike while inflicting 20 x 100d20 civilian casualties. Followed by war of attrition, economic collapse, recrimination.
SPECIAL ATTACKS: 5% chance of 30,000 Megaton nuclear first strike on Upper Volta.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +3 or better weapon to hit. In event of combat, 20% chance of heart attack per round, followed by the swearing in of President Santorum. You wouldn't want that, would you?)
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80% (10% vs. mind control spells by Cheney.)
INTELLIGENCE: Normal.
CHARISMA: 12 (16 to neocons)
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil if under control of Cheney; otherwise Chaotic neutral.
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X/29,950* (* for impeachment)
A huge, ancient, carnivorous dinosaur from the swamps at the heart of Republican country, not unlike Godzilla in appearance and wrinkled integument, McCain has seen better years. Nevertheless he can breathe fire and threaten to stomp flat the capital city of any country that Fox News disapproves of with the best of them.
The biggest danger in facing off against a McCain is that he might be under the mind control of the Svengali-like Cheney, Prince of Darkness. In this case, he is likely to be lethally aggressive and even more unpredictable than usual.
tmalone writes "The New York Times is reporting that book publishers are beginning to phase out DRM-protected audio books. This month the world's largest publisher, Random House, started offering DRM-free mp3s; Penguin has announced that it will follow suit. Their logic? DRM just doesn't work. 'Publishers, like the music labels and movie studios, stuck to DRM out of fear that pirated copies would diminish revenue. Random House tested the justification for this fear when it introduced the DRM-less concept with eMusic last fall. It encoded those audio books with a digital watermark and monitored online file sharing networks, only to find that pirated copies of its audio books had been made from physical CDs or DRM-encoded digital downloads whose anticopying protections were overridden.'"
Kim sez, "In response to the Canadian Teacher's Federation call for a ban on the release of Rockstar's 'Bully: Scholarship Edition', Ubisoft designer Clint Hocking has issued a pretty compelling challenge: He's offering to buy Emily Noble, head of the CTF, an Xbox360 or Wii system, along with a copy of the game, if she commits to entering a critical discussion of the games merits rather than call for its ban out of ignorance."
So, what is it that I or the CTF could contribute? Since I haven't even played Bully - and probably neither has Ms. Noble, President of the CTF, (nor probably have her counterparts in the coalition of teacher's unions in Canada, the United States, Britain, South Korea, Australia and the Caribbean who are mentioned in the article) I wonder if we even can contribute anything? Ought we enter into debate about public access to media that we have not even engaged ourselves? That seems unethical to me - especially given our roles. It is doubly unethical if Bully might in fact actively contribute to broader and deeper societal understanding of the very serious and real issues of bullying. While our teachers are certainly on the frontlines of the battle against bullying - they are not the owners of the issue and they are not the only ones entitled to examine or discuss it. Those who create art or other media such as films, novels or games that engage the issue are also part of society's attempt to deal with the problem.
So, no, I'm not going to defend Bully at all. Instead, I am going to invite Ms Noble and her counterparts to examine it with me, and to enter into a critical discussion of its merits and the difficulties it may or may not pose to students and to teachers who clearly and irrefutably have to deal with the daily reality of bullying in our society. If the concerns of these individuals - our de facto authorities on bullying - are not explored in a game like Bully, then perhaps Bully is nothing but sensationalist junk. On the contrary - if Bully does illuminate the social realities of Bullying within the reasonably defined scope and capability of the medium, then not only is it more than sensationalist junk - it is arguably an important work. Perhaps even a work that students should be playing in school as a part of their education in order to safely explore notions of bullying while having to neither engage in, nor be subjected to it.
Charlie Angus, a Member of Parliament with Canada's New Democratic Party, has written a blistering open letter to Industry Minister Jim Prentice over the issue of Prentice's proposal to ram through a Canadian version of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Prentice has consistently refused to allow public consultation into his bill, and instead has drafted a kind of wish-list representing the fondest fantasies of US entertainment giants.
Prentice argues that this law must be enacted to meet Canada's international obligations under the World Intellectual Property Organization's WIPO Copyright Treaty of 1996, but this is just not true, as Angus points out.
Instead of marching off the same cliff that the US fell off of in 1998 with its DMCA, Canada could adopt a balanced copyright approach that will pay artists without criminalizing the public:
As a follow-up to this Three Step approach I am offering Jim Prentice some thoughts regarding WIPO obligations. Minister Jim Prentice needs to come clean with the Canadian public over the fact that restrictive, U.S. style DMCA legislation is not synonymous with ratifying the WIPO treaty. Under international trade obligations Canada could ratify WIPO and still maintain a wide variety of choices of how to go about setting up appropriate copyright legislation for the 21st-century. We are in no way obligated to go down the same dead end road as the United States with their restrictive legislation.
However, if Mr. Prentice is going to let Canadian copyright legislation be written by U.S. trade interests he will certainly face a major backlash from both artist’s organizations, consumers and Canadian business groups. Put simply, he can’t pretend that restrictive DMCA legislation is being forced on us because of WIPO obligations.
Let's be clear -- Canada as a signatory to WIPO is under no obligation to go further. As a signatory we simply have to commit that we will not undermine the principles of the treaty. Ratifying or not ratifying is entirely up to the discretion of individual countries.
As the WIPO documents themselves state: “The effect of signature is not, of course, to bind the signatory State…It is only the ratification of the Convention by an existing member State which has signed the Convention, or accession to the Convention by a new member State, which creates an international legal obligation.”
Space shuttle Endeavour soared into space Tuesday, carrying parts of a Japanese laboratory that is to become the largest and last research component of the International Space Station. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 9:23 am
Debcha sez, "Rstevens just announced that he'll be releasing the entire archive of Diesel Sweeties as a series of PDFs, under a Creative Commons license."
By my calculations, DS is going to hit 2000 comics in a little under two months. ...I'd like to celebrate by releasing the entire webcomic archive for free in ten volumes. It worked for Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead -- - not bad company to try and keep!
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. The shuttle Endeavour blazed a roaring trail into orbit as a spectacular night launch kicked off 16-day mission to the International Space Station. The shuttle was launched... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 8:35 am
TORONTO, March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Sirit Inc. ("Sirit") (TSX: SI), a leading provider of radio frequency identification ("RFID") technology, ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 8:17 am
LOS ANGELES, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix(TM) interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that FINAL... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 8:15 am
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE) today announced that it has secured a multi-year enterprise license agreement (ELA) with... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 8:12 am
CLEVELAND, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- href="http://www.onbase.com">Hyland Software , developer of the OnBase document and process management software solution, has been Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 8:10 am
NMajik writes "Although BattleBots has been largely removed from the public eye since episodes stopped airing years ago, a new deal has recently been struck with ESPN to return combat robots to the living room. Episodes will be broadcast as a series on ESPNU and ESPN2 after filmed at the competition in June 2008. This is the first notable progress towards televised combat robotics in years."
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., maker of the "Grand Theft Auto" series of video games and the target of a $2-billion takeover effort by rival Electronic Arts Inc., has been hit with a shareholder lawsuit... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 7:00 am
A class of compounds found in nerve gas and pesticides remains the likely cause, a review of studies concludes. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 7:00 am
eldavojohn writes "The $200 Linux PCs discussed earlier last year have been discontinued for sale at Wal-Mart's physical locations, though they will remain for sale at walmart.com. All this despite the systems repeatedly selling out. From the article, 'Paul Kim, brand manager for Everex, said selling the gPC online was "significantly more effective" than selling it in stores.'"
These photos depict Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in a sorry state. The Daily Mail has a series of photos showing the neglected grounds, near Santa Barbara, California. Seen here at left is the ripped tent over the bumper car rink. At right is an animal enclosure for his once famous menagerie. Jackson has to pay off $25 million in debt by next week or Neverland will go on the auction block. According to the NME, two wealthy fans may bid on it in a last ditch effort to bail Jacko out. Link to The Daily Mail, Link to NME (Thanks, Vann Hall!)
To the Editor: Re Blood Pressure Troubles Linked to a Virus Infection (Vitals, March 4): I had pre-eclampsia with two of my three children, both boys. My first son died when he was 3 months old. My third... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 3:35 am
Ant writes "MacNN reports that the thin design of Apple's MacBook Air is causing some confusion for the technically ignorant, according to one blogger who says that the ultra-portable caused him to miss his flight. When going through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport security checkpoint, blogger Michael Nygard was held up as security staff gathered around his MacBook Air, trying to make sense of the slender laptop/notebook. One of the less technically knowledgeable staff points out the lack of standard features as cause for alarm..."
WHITE PLAINS Opponents of the Indian Point nuclear power plants, including New York State, got their day in court on Monday sort of to explain why they thought the two reactors should not be allowed... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 2:36 am
Pickens writes "The first commercially released personal music player capable of handling MP3 files was launched in March 1998 — the MPMan F10, manufactured by Korea's Saehan Information Systems with 32MB of Flash storage, enough for a handful of songs encoded at 128Kb/s. In the US, local supplier Eiger Labs wanted $250 for the F10, though the price fell to $200 the following year prompted by the release of the Diamond Multimedia Rio PMP300. The Rio was released in September 1998, but by 8 October had become the subject of a lawsuit from the RIAA which claimed the player violated the 1992 US Home Recordings Act. It was later ruled that the Rio had not infringed the Act because it was not responsible for the actions of its customers. Thanks to its lesser known name, the F10 avoided such legal entanglements, but at the cost of all the free publicity its rival gained from the lawsuit."
Former "Crazy Eddie" executive Sam Antar, a self-described former fraudster, thinks he sees signs of fraud at online retailer Overstock.com, and he's not shy about saying so. There's just one wrinkle: He's also shorting Overstock.com's stock.
LONDON Four years ago, Caroline Sivilia, a Parisian who worked for the ad agency Publicis Groupe, left France to start a magazine for French people living in London. I was young, I wanted to create,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 12:37 am
SAN FRANCISCO Hulu.com, the long-gestating Internet joint venture between NBC Universal and Fox, emerges from limited testing on Wednesday to make its catalog of TV shows and video clips available to... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 12:37 am
WILMINGTON, Del. The cable media mogul John C. Malone told a judge on Monday that he held no ill will toward his longtime business partner, Barry Diller, who controls IAC/InterActiveCorp, even though... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Mar 2008 | 12:37 am
Here's a terrific interview with one of my favorite cartoonists in the world, Phoebe Gloeckner, about why she's an artist. Watch it for the interview material, but keep your eyes peeled for a lot of seemingly digital art from Gloeckner that as far as I can tell has not been seen before, much of it appearing to come from her project about the mass unsolved murder of women in Juarez, Mexico. (Via Tom Spurgeon.)
mikesd81 writes "Mobile technology group Ericsson is predicting a 'swift end' for Wi-Fi hotspots, according to the PC Pro site. Johan Bergendahl, the company's chief marketing officer, offers this analysis: 'The rapid growth of mobile broadband is set to make Wi-Fi hotspots irrelevant ... Hotspots at places like Starbucks are becoming the telephone boxes of the broadband era. Industry will have to solve the international roaming issue ... Carriers need to work together. It can be as simple as paying 10 euros per day when you are abroad.' He also pointed to a lack of coverage as a potential hindrance to the growth of the technology."
rjshirts writes "Ars Technica is reporting that the Beatles and Apple have signed a reported $400 million dollar deal to bring the entire Beatles Catalog to iTunes. From the article: 'As of today there is no time frame as to when the catalog will appear online, but it seems to just be a matter of time. McCartney himself even said in November that the catalog would be making its way onto the the store some time in 2008. While we have heard this sort of thing time and time again, this might just be the real deal. Prepare yourself — Beatlemania is coming to iTunes.'"
In 2005, Mark Klein, a former AT&T technician,
brought to public attention documents which showed that
the National Security Agency had obtained copies of Internet traffic flowing through an AT&T facility in San Francisco and through several other AT&T locations across the country.
This led to public outcry over the US government's
warrantless wiretapping program, and a lawsuit
against AT&T by the Electronic Frontier Foundation .
And just to toot our own horn, although Wired wasn't the first to write about the Klein documents, we did acquire them while they were under court seal (from a party not subject to the gag order) and publish them for geeks of the world to analyze. (Explanation here.)
The Army's gargantuan digital modernization plan has turned so rotten, a new congressional report says it's time to start thinking about killing it off. One powerful representative has another plan: Pump another $20 billion into the sickly, $200 billion behemoth.
In celebration of an upcoming revised edition of Dungeons & Dragons, David Kushner sits down and discussed the long history of this classic role-playing game with one of its founding fathers, the late Gary Gygax. Read what Gygax had to say about his lifelong passion for promoting creativity and imagination throughout generations of gamers.
A South Korean artificial intelligence expert, picked to be the nation's first citizen into space, takes an unusually keen interest in training manuals -- including one he had no business seeing. His Russian hosts object and he is replaced.
The struggling electronics retailer, facing stiff competition and an increasingly lousy economy, is abandoning the big box and banking its survival on smaller concept stores.
Lisa sez, "I've been working these past few weeks on this installation with Electric
Sheep artist Spot Draves. He and Second Life 3-D artist Somatika Xiao
(a.k.a. David Stumbaugh) have put together an incredible interactive art
exhibit in Second Life. We're having an opening this
Thursday night - March 13th, with Spot there live at 7pm.
I've just posted the first
part of a multi-part interview with him that explains the nuts and
bolts behind his incredible art."
Link
(Thanks, Lisa!)
John McCain (Demon Prince of Republicans.) (Lesser God.)
