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Comment Re:wait, what? (Score 1) 446

by darthvader100 (#32010416) Attached to: Paper Manufacturer Launches "Print More" Campaign
And what happens when everyone stops printing? Do they turn their paper mill back into rain forest? Unlikely They will build a shopping center there instead. Not printing doesn't save trees, it just decreases the number of working-trees out there(but does increase the number of super-dupulous shopping malls)
Networking

Virgin Promises 100Mbps Connections To UK Homes 247

Posted by timothy from the depends-what-you-intend-to-realize dept.
registerShift writes "Virgin said it will roll out 100 megabit-per-second broadband connections to homes in the UK. The company said users will experience speeds 'very close' to what's advertised as it plans to deploy cable instead of ADSL used by competitors. 'There is nothing we can't do with our fiber optic cable network, and the upcoming launch of our flagship 100mbps service will give our customers the ultimate broadband experience,' Virgin Media's chief executive officer, Neil Berkett, said. This is just days after the FCC announced aims of 100Mbps by 2020, and companies panned it as unrealistic."
Crime

Examining Virtual Crimes 85

Posted by Soulskill from the too-much-time-on-your-hands dept.
GamePolitics has an article about a research paper issued by the AU government's Institute of Criminology titled "Crime Risks of Three-Dimensional Virtual Environments." The paper discusses the legal questions raised by game worlds and avatars, ranging from regulation of in-game currency to a report of virtual rape. "A person controlling an avatar that is unexpectedly raped or assaulted might experience the physical reaction of 'freezing,' or the associated shock, distrust and loss of confidence in using [3D virtual environments]. While civil redress for psychological harm is conceivable, the 'disembodied' character of such an incident would invariably bar liability for any crime against the person. However, Australian federal criminal law imposes a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment for using an internet carriage service to 'menace, harass or cause offence' to another user. Further, US and Australian laws ban simulated or actual depictions of child abuse and pornography. Therefore, any representations of child avatars involved in virtual sexual activity, torture or physical abuse are prohibited, regardless of whether the real-world user is an adult or child."
Cellphones

BlackBerry Bold Tops Radiation Ranking 189

Posted by timothy from the woo-top-of-the-list-awesome dept.
geek4 writes with this excerpt from eWeek Europe: "Data from the Environmental Working Group places the BlackBerry Bold 9700 as the mobile device with the highest legal levels of cell phone radiation among popular smartphones. Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold 9700 scores the highest among popular smartphones for exposing users to the highest legal levels of cell phone radiation, according to the latest 2010 Environmental Working Group ranking. Following the Bold 9700 are the Motorola Droid, the LG Chocolate and Google's HTC Nexus One. The rankings still put the phones well within federal guidelines and rules."
Censorship

Microsoft Says It Never Meant To Knock Cryptome Offline 176

Posted by timothy from the to-err-is-corporate dept.
CWmike writes "Microsoft withdrew on Thursday its demand that Cryptome.org yank the 'Microsoft Global Criminal Spy Guide' document from the site, and said it had never intended for the whistleblower's domain to be knocked off the Web. 'In this case, we did not ask that this site be taken down, only that Microsoft copyrighted content be removed,' said a Microsoft spokeswoman. 'We are requesting to have the site restored and are no longer seeking the document's removal.' The document, a 17-page guide to law enforcement on how to obtain information about users of Microsoft's online services, including its Windows Live Hotmail, the Xbox Live gaming network and its Windows Live SkyDrive storage service, was published by John Young, who runs Cryptome.org, on Feb. 20. Earlier this week, Microsoft demanded that Young remove the document from his site, citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. When Young refused, his Internet provider shut down the site, and Network Solutions, the registrar of Young's domain, put a 'legal lock' on the domain name. The last prevented him from transferring the URL to another ISP. Computerworld blogger Preston Gralla dug into the document today in his 'Leaked Microsoft intelligence document: Here's what Microsoft will reveal to police about you' post."

Comment Re:Pro-piracy (Score 1) 287

by darthvader100 (#31082318) Attached to: Man Fined $1.5 Million For Leaked Mario Game
If "Sharing is caring"

Then is it a also not a crime for the bank to share your banking details? I mean your teller likes to share, and his friends who he shares with are also "sharers" who share their money with him.

And there are important laws about sharing. Eg since i changed ISP i now get a lot of telemarketers(and yes i *always* tick that "You may not share my info no matter what, blah, blah, blah"

Nowdays, if I share an audio CD with someone, I am supposed to feel like a fucking criminal?

sharing the CD is not criminal, posting it online for millions to download is where the police show up looking for the criminal.

We don't have the even most basic of freedoms, and that's the freedom to be left alone.

Well if you don't like the laws then how would you like it if the hospitals just left you alone during your heart attack? Or the garbage collectors left your garbage alone?

[and no, I don't care about this guy sharing some Wii game

[and if you don't care about him sharing, then test the theory, let your cubicle-mate distribute the work you did to someone else and have them submit it. Bet your boss won't be too happy with your non-performance]
Role Playing (Games)

Fallout: New Vegas Coming This Fall, Trailer Released 100

Posted by Soulskill from the out-is-still-falling dept.
Bethesda announced today that Fallout: New Vegas is scheduled for release sometime this fall, and they released a trailer as well. Details are scant yet on the official site, but they had this to say: "Experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America's First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault: Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however — while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency,* in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay. (* Should not be construed as a legally-binding claim.)"
Books

Murdoch Says E-Book Prices Will Kill Paper Books 538

Posted by timothy from the moving-companies-are-probably-unhappy-too dept.
hrimhari writes "The settlement between Amazon and Macmillian got the attention of a known dinosaur. Consistent to his views, Mr. Murdoch wants to defend his book editors by killing the cheaper solution. '"We don't like the Amazon model of selling everything at $9.99," Murdoch said. "They pay us the wholesale price of $14 or whatever we charge," he said. "But I think it really devalues books, and it hurts all the retailers of the hardcover books.'"
Microsoft

Craig Mundie Wants "Internet Driver's Licenses" 427

Posted by timothy from the genuine-advantage dept.
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Craig Mundie, Microsoft's Chief Research and Strategy Officer, called for the creation of an 'Internet Driver's License' at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying, 'If you want to drive a car you have to have a license to say that you are capable of driving a car, the car has to pass a test to say it is fit to drive and you have to have insurance.' Of course, there are quite a few problems with this. For starters, internet use cannot yet cause death or dismemberment like car accidents can; and this would get rid of most of the good of internet anonymity while retaining all of the bad parts, especially in terms of expanding the market for stolen identities. Even though telephone networks have long been used by scammers and spammers/telemarketers, we've never needed a 'Telephone Driver's License.'"
Businesses

How Infighting Hampers Innovation At Microsoft 450

Posted by timothy from the rather-a-broad-brush dept.
Garabito writes "Dick Brass, former vice-president at Microsoft, published an op-ed in The New York Times, where he states that 'Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator' and how 'it has lost share in Web browsers, high-end laptops and smartphones.' He attributes this situation to the lack of a true system for innovation at Microsoft. Some former employees argue that Microsoft has a system to thwart innovation. He tells how promising and innovative technologies like ClearType and the original TabletPC concept become crippled and sabotaged internally, by groups and divisions that felt threatened by them."
Entertainment

Submission + - Washington Post Poll for Webcomic of the Decade (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by darthvader100
darthvader100 writes: Washington post is holding a poll to find the best webcomic. The nominees were nominated via Facebook and Twitter and the voting is now in progress. So far the top contender is Perry Bible Fellowship[28%], followed by Penny Arcade[18%]. Tying for third with 12% are XKCD and Hark A Vagrant. Order of the Stick seems to be lagging behind with just 2% of the votes. Head over and vote and have your say. Certainly many interesting webcomics to look out for in the future...
Google

Submission + - Google Toolbar Tracks Browsing Even On "Disable" (benedelman.org)

Submitted by lordguha
lordguha writes: Ben Edelman presents screenshots and screen-capture videos demonstrating that even after a user specifically chooses to "disable" the Google Toolbar, and even after the Google Toolbar disappears from view, Google Toolbar continues tracking users' web browsing — including the specific sites visited, pages browsed, and searches conducted. He also compares Google's current notice/consent process to Google's 2004 version, finding important declines in both the presentation and substance of disclosures.
The Media

Submission + - Newsday Gets 35 Subscriptions to Pay Web Site

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "In late October, Newsday put its web site behind a pay wall, one of the first non-business newspapers to take the pay wall plunge, so Newsday has been followed with interest in media circles anxious to learn how the NY Times own plans to put up a pay wall may work out. So how successful has Newsday's paywall been? The NY Observer reports that three months into the experiment only 35 people have have signed up to pay $5 a week to get unfettered access to newsday.com. Newsday's web site redesign and relaunch reportedly cost about $4 million and the 35 people who've signed up have earned Newsday about $9,000. Still publisher Terry Jimenez is unapologetic. "That's 35 more than I would have thought it would have been," said Jimenez to his assembled staff, according to five interviews with Newsday employees. The web project has not been a favorite among Newsday employees who have recently been asked to take a 10 percent pay cut. "The view of the newsroom is the web site sucks," says one staffer. "It's an abomination," adds another."

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