Internet Censorship's First Death Sentence? 475
mrogers writes "A journalism student in Afghanistan has been sentenced to death by a Sharia court for downloading and sharing a report criticizing the treatment of women in some Islamic countries. The student was accused of blasphemy and tried without representation. According to Reporters Without Borders, sixty people are currently in jail worldwide for criticizing governments online, fifty of them in China, but this may be the first time someone has been sentenced to death for using the internet. Internet censorship is on the rise worldwide, according to The OpenNet Initiative."
Submission + - Hitachi Introduces World's 1st 500GB 2.5 Inch HDD (xuecast.com) 1
XueCast writes: "Today, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has just announced that they currently are preparing to release the world's first half Terabyte 2.5 inch Hard Disk Drive units in February 2008. The new 500GB HDD units will be released as a part of Hitachi's popular portable HDD family, the Travelstar.
Hitachi will release two models of these new Travelstar HDD units, the 5K500 and the E5K500. Travelstar 5K500 HDD units will be released first in February and they will be cheaper but will have less features than their E5K500 counterparts, which will see the store shelves later in the mid 2008."
Submission + - 500-fold growth in space comms squeezes SETI@home (networkworld.com) 3
coondoggie writes: "The longest-running search for radio signals from alien civilizations is receiving 500 times more data from an upgraded telescope and better frequency coverage than project planners anticipated, meaning the SETI@home project is in dire need of more desktop computers to help crunch the data.
New, more sensitive receivers on the world's largest radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and better frequency coverage are generating 500 times more data for the project than before, project leaders said in a release. SETI@home software has been upgraded to deal with this new data as the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) enters a new era and offers a new opportunity for those who want to help find other civilizations in the universe.
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/23469"
Submission + - Hitachi releases half-terabyte notebook drive (computerworld.com) 5
Lucas123 writes: "Hitachi has released its Travelstar 5K500 2.5-inch disk drive that has 500GB capacity and spins at 5,400 rpm with a 3Gbit/sec Serial Advanced Technology Attachment interface. At the same time, Asus announced a 1TB laptop that incorporates two 500GB drives. The Asus M70 will be launched at CES next week. It comes optionally equipped with a digital/analog TV tuner and video recording capability. The Hitachi will be available in February for about $350 for a 400GB version and about $400 for a 500GB version."
Feed Science Daily: SETI@home Ramps Up To Analyze More Data In Search Of Extraterrestrial Intelligen (sciencedaily.com) 1
The longest-running search for radio signals from alien civilizations is getting a burst of new data from an upgraded Arecibo telescope, which means the SETI@home project needs more desktop computers to help crunch the data. The project already boasts the largest number of dedicated users: 170,000.
Submission + - RIAA getting agressive (foxnews.com)
Agent__Smith writes: "According to Foxnews.com the RIAA may soon be going after users that are ripping any file from any CD. This applies even if you own the CD and are ripping one copy to your own computer for your own use on an iPod or other MP3 player... There is a case in Arizona right now testing the water for future cases... This could get ugly and very expensive. So much for fair use."
Submission + - Winutuxu - Is it Windows XP? is it Ubuntu?
LiquidNitrogen writes: Previously discussed on UbuntuForums, Winutuxu is now making rounds on the internet as a heavily cracked though full working copy of windows XP SP2 with Ubuntu Human Theme built right in the OS. Winutuxu also comes with a number of open source applications pre-installed. Check out some of the screenshots of Winutuxu.
Journal Journal: Microsoft pounded and ignored on YouTube.
Microsoft is trying to promote Vista on YouTube. The videos have been up for a week and all but one has less than 300 views. The comments have not been kind, as you might expect from all the Vista Sucks videos that millions of people have viewed.
Submission + - RIAA Suing User for Copying CDs to Hard Drive 2
tigerhawkvok writes: "Everyone has some gripe about the the RIAA. Well, here's one that we can all partake in, more than usual: The RIAA has officially started suing people for copying CDs to their hard drive. Yes. You read that right. They want you to fill up your PMPs with just content downloaded from their label websites, Microsoft's marketplace, iTunes, or what have you. No CDs allowed.
No, this is not just the famous side-comment of "when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." Copying a song you bought is "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy' " as said by the Sony/BMG chick. This is an actual lawsuit.
This disgusting trend brought to your attention courtesy Engadget."
No, this is not just the famous side-comment of "when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." Copying a song you bought is "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy' " as said by the Sony/BMG chick. This is an actual lawsuit.
This disgusting trend brought to your attention courtesy Engadget."
Submission + - YouTube censoring atheists. (youtube.com)
Metaleks writes: 'Tis the season to be jolly. But all is not well. It would seem that YouTube is censoring those who lack Christmas spirit. One after another, atheists on YouTube are being removed from Top 100 lists, and having their channels stripped of any honours. To prove this wasn't some sort of YouTube glitch, one atheist went as far as creating another account. As soon as he was "discovered" of being an atheist his videos were stripped of any honours and his name taken off of the Top 100 lists. Why is YouTube censoring atheists?
Submission + - Star Trek: Of Gods And Men - Part1 Released (myspace.com) 1
stonedcat writes: "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men is a three-part unofficial Star Trek fan mini-series, part one (http://www.startrekofgodsandmen.com/) has been released today in flash format, higher quality versions should follow. Directed by Tim Russ (Tuvok from Voyager) and featuring several former cast members from various Star Trek series this mini-series should be a fresh look at the Trek universe especially with the lack of any Star Trek series or Movies on the horizon. This mini-series has been compared by fans to Duke Nukem Forever with its many delays and it was thought to never see the light of day. With this release we can be assured that the film is no longer vapor ware or a pipe dream."
Submission + - New Star Trek 1
WED Fan writes: "The new fan/cast effort Star Trek: Of Gods and Men has debutted their first 26 minute act.
Many second line players have taken part along with a couple of fan film actors from Star Trek: The New Voyages. The story can be viewed as a sequel to the ST:TOS episode "Charlie X". The last two acts will "air" shortly.
The first 26 minutes shows much possibility, but also shows some of the problems with the fan film venue. Dialogue, which in Star Trek was already stilted, becomes even more stilted. Yet, the effort is credible."
Many second line players have taken part along with a couple of fan film actors from Star Trek: The New Voyages. The story can be viewed as a sequel to the ST:TOS episode "Charlie X". The last two acts will "air" shortly.
The first 26 minutes shows much possibility, but also shows some of the problems with the fan film venue. Dialogue, which in Star Trek was already stilted, becomes even more stilted. Yet, the effort is credible."
Submission + - Goodbye from Startrek.com (startrek.com)
MrDiablerie writes: It looks like the developers behind startrek.com were all laid off on Friday as part of a restructuring at CBS. Merry Christmas!
Submission + - RIAA protests Oregon AG discovery request (blogspot.com) 2
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "The RIAA is apparently having an allergic reaction to the request by the State Attorney General of Oregon for information about the RIAA's investigative tactics, in Arista v. Does 1-17, the Portland, Oregon, case targeting students at the University of Oregon. See The Oregonian, December 1, 2007 ("UO suspects music industry of spying") and p2pnet, November 29, 2007 ("RIAA may be spying on students: Oregon AG"). Not only are the record companies opposing the request (pdf), they're asking the Judge not to even read it. (pdf)"
