The ACLU has done a lot for various freedoms, including internet freedoms. One instance, where the ACLU represented an ISP that was served with National Security Letters, serves to illustrate the kinds of high profile and essential litigation they perform.

Yeah, but they have contract terms that basically allow them to discontinue your service for any or no reason whatsoever, so it's not like that changes much. I suppose the only difference would be, in the case of breaches of contract, you wouldn't get a refund.

I doubt Sony is going to see what Microsoft is doing as anything other than a precedent and road map for future endeavors. The only reason PSN is free is because they wanted to overcome the shocking price of the initial PS3 models and wanted to take a chunk out of Xbox Live's market share. Xbox Live is profitable, PSN is not. If PSN ever reaches comfortable profitability, you can bet they'll be doing exactly what Microsoft is. They're just as much about screwing the customer as any other company (anti-piracy rootkits anyone?).

Xbox Live is in the unique situation of being able to sell ads to the end-user, sell the ability to access end-users (via Marketplace) to publishers/developers, and take a cut of those purchases between publisher and end-user.

The article discusses this as a problem, but as far as Microsoft is concerned, it's everything as it should be. Customers aren't pissed enough to leave because they still see value in the service they're paying for and the ads are pretty unobtrusive. Until end-users or publishers get annoyed enough at the status quo to make a significant enough dent in their profits, Microsoft is not going to care. As it stands, we'll pretty much have to wait for one of the big name publishers to get annoyed enough that their games aren't getting the exposure they want, because the current minority voice of end-users annoyed at ads just isn't loud enough, and I don't think it ever will be. Publishers and their triple-A titles on the other hand have a ton of sway.

Of course, it will be interesting to see if the increasing dependence on Microsoft continues. If so, it might get to the point where the publishers don't have much sway as far as negotiations are concerned. Given that the gaming industry (excepting a few smart companies and indie devs) are basically abandoning the PC market in favor of locked-in console gamers, we're near the point where the console manufacturers and their signing keys are going to be the barrier between publishers and their continued success (or eventual failure).

Smallpox blankets didn't happen. It's just another part of Ward Churchill's academic misconduct.

See here.

If you want opinion, go read an op ed in your local news, or if you really need technology opinion pieces, go read a PC World or what have you. PHP 5.4 being released is news people will care about, hence it being here.

Presumably you mean they cracked /etc/shadow. Still, piss poor is a good assessment for their attempts at securing this process. At least they opened it up for public testing though.

thanks to Microsoft's open-source Kinect platform for Windows

This was done using https://code.google.com/p/simple-kinect-touch/ not the microsoft SDK.

Anybody who actually knows Amir would find that hilarious.

He isn't in this for the money, he has given away all of his bitcoins (and I mean ALL).

You're talking about a country that has to import refined oil because they lack the technical ability to refine crude oil.

There is no way in hell they're going to clone a stealth drone.

This would effectively make unions the only options for such workers.

Fucking scam artists.

eGold failed because they were engaged in fraud and straight up money laundering

I can get dedicated 100mbit server with unlimited bandwidth for around 60-70 dollars a month

No actually you cant.

The reason the federal student loan program exists is because it ISN'T profitable to make that loan. Most kids are going to default, and the banks will be left holding the bag.

you can default on student loans, but you can never be absolved of them.

The only risk in making a student loan is that the beneficiary dies before they can pay it back, which is generally speaking a sound bet.

The movie played at various film festivals and was released in italy, then they soft launched in the US. At this point there was huge demand to watch the movie but absolutely no legal way for 99% of the people to watch it.

I would guess that it's probably one of the most pirated movies of all time.