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The Internet

Submission + - U.S Congressman Wants to Ban Internet Bills (gizmodo.com)

SchrodingerZ writes: "Representative Darrell Issa, a republican congressman from California, has drafted a bill for the internet. The bill, aptly named the Internet American Moratorium Act (IAMA), is, "a two-year moratorium on any new laws, rules or regulations governing the Internet." In short it hopes to deny any new government bills related to lawmaking on the internet for the next two years. The bill was first made public on the website Reddit, and is currently on the front page of Keepthewebopen.com, a website advocating internet rights. "Together we can make Washington take a break from messing w/ the Internet," Issa writes on his Reddit post. The initial response to the bill has been mixed. Users of Reddit are skeptical of the paper's motives and credibility. As of now, the bill is just a discussion draft, whether it will gain footing in the future is up in the air."

Submission + - Nokia Asks Court To Block Sale of Some RIM Products (itworld.com)

itwbennett writes: "The ITworld article reads: 'Nokia has asked a California court to enforce an arbitration award that would prevent Research In Motion from selling products with wireless LAN capabilities until the companies can agree on patent royalty rates. Nokia and RIM both declined to comment on Nokia's request, a copy of which was obtained by IDG News Service, but such a filing is typically made after two parties settle a dispute through arbitration but one party does not follow through on the agreement.'"

Submission + - Bluetooth used to track Traffic Times (ctvnews.ca)

ChanukahZombie writes: The City of Calgary, AB has introduced a new traffic congestion/timing information platform for drivers. "The system collects the publicly available data from Bluetooths to estimate the travel time and congestion between points along those roads and displays the information on overhead message boards to motorists." Currently only available on the Deerfoot Trail (the city's main highway artery) but will be "expanded in the future to include sections of Crowchild Trail and Glenmore Trail in the southwest." As for privacy concerns the city says it cannot connect the MAC address collected to the device owner.
Networking

Submission + - IPv6 deployment picking up speed (caida.org)

An anonymous reader writes: The Internet's addressing authority (IANA) ran out of IPv4 Internet addresses in early 2011. The IPv6 protocol (now 15 years old) was designed exactly for this scenario, as it provides many more addresses than our foreseeable addressing needs. However, IPv6 deployment has so far been dismal, accounting for 1% of total traffic (the high-end of estimates). A recent paper by researchers at the Cooperative Association for Internet Data analysis (CAIDA) indicates that IPv6 deployment may be picking up at last. The paper, published at the Internet Measurement Conference (IMC) shows that the IPv6 network shows signs of maturing, with its properties starting to resemble the deployed IPv4 network. Deployment appears to be non-uniform, however; while the "core" of the network appears to be ready, networks at the "edges" are lacking. There are geographical differences too — Europe and the Asia Pacific region are ahead of North America.
Earth

Submission + - The Straight Poop on Microsoft's New Data Center (informationweek.com)

CowboyRobot writes: "Microsoft is planning a zero-carbon data center in Wyoming that will use biogas from an adjacent wastewater treatment plant as its power supply.

Once the R&D project is complete, Microsoft will donate the Data Plant to the City of Cheyenne and the University of Wyoming for future research.

The ultimate goal of the Data Plant program is to free data centers from having to rely on expensive and potentially unstable power grids."

Submission + - European Parliament Votes to Stop Shark Finning

An anonymous reader writes: The European Parliament voted Thursday to close loopholes in European Union (EU) policy over shark finning. In 2003, the EU banned removal of shark fins but exempted those fishermen having special permits to cut off fins from sharks legally. The issuing of Special Fishing Permits (SFPs) to fishing vessels prevented the 2003 EU ban to be implemented fully and effectively.
Android

Submission + - Microsoft collects $10 royalty per device from Android vendors (bgr.com)

Taco Cowboy writes: Back in 2011 it had already rumored that Microsoft was aiming to collect $10 per device from vendors who sell Android-based handsets — see http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/139819/apple-could-collect-10-for-every-android-device-sold-expert-says

Now the rumor turns out to be true.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20121122PD203.html

Approximately 70% of branded hardware vendors with Android products, including HTC, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Acer, Wistron, Quanta Computer, Compal Electronics, and ViewSonic, are making royalty payments to Microsoft, with each vendor paying up to US$5-10 per device sold, the sources revealed.


Microsoft

Submission + - Hello, I'm a Mac. And I'm a $248 Win8 PC.

theodp writes: A little birdie told me which Windows 8 machines would sell out fast. 'Cheep' ones! While no official sales figures have emerged, anecdotal evidence suggests that cheap Windows 8 laptops were a big hit with Black Friday shoppers, leaving some Walmart and Best Buy bargain hunters disappointed at missing out on the sub-$250 deals. So, was the Doctor-Desktop-and-Mister-Metro dual nature of Windows 8 and lack of a touchscreen no big deal to these bargain basement 'Laptop Hunters', or did they not realize what they were buying? Or, as a GeekWire commenter suggests, perhaps they were really just looking to score an ultra-cheap Linux laptop!

Submission + - InTrade bans U.S. customers. (intrade.com)

MyFirstNameIsPaul writes: "In an announcement dated Monday, Nov 26, 2012, Dublin based InTrade stated "that due to legal and regulatory pressures, Intrade can no longer allow US residents to participate in our real-money prediction markets." The Washington Post reports that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a complaint in federal court against InTrade for "illegally facilitating bets on future economic data, the price of gold and even acts of war," demonstrating just how far the long arm of U.S. law can reach."
Facebook

Submission + - Facebook Game where Players Earn Real Land (prweb.com)

karenmcgraw07 writes: Want to make someone you know a Lord, Lady or a laird? maybe you are thinking that this is impossible well think again for Highland Titles Facebook game can make this into a reality. Check out this press release for more info
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Is Verizon still charging for tethering on their 4G spectrum? (slashdot.org) 1

pseudorand writes: I just discussed upgrading to a 4G phone with sales reps at both a Verizon store and Best Buy. Both told me I had to pay an extra $20/month for tethering. Remembering the FCC ruling mentioned in this ./ article:
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/07/31/2139246/fcc-rules-that-verizon-cannot-charge-for-4g-tethering ...I was of course a bit surprised.

Is anyone getting free 4G tethering on a Verizon plan? This article seems to imply that Verizon would no longer attempt to charge customers for tethering with usage-based plans (the only type still available if you take their phone discount) or attempt to hide the reality of free tethering:
http://theunlockr.com/2012/07/31/fcc-forces-verizon-to-unblock-tethering-apps-and-pay-a-1-25-million-fee/

From my reading of the ruling:
http://www.fcc.gov/document/order-and-consent-decree-verizon-wireless-pay-125-million
they can still charge for it and have no obligation to let customers know about free tethering, they just can't tell Google to block tethering apps.

Is Verizon still in violation of the FCC ruling?

(I would hope so and I've already filed my complaint with the FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/complaints).

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