3490019
submission
thefickler writes:
One of the Pirate Bay defendants has urged supporters to stop vigilante protests against the website of a music group behind the prosecution. Hackers had defaced the homepage of Sweden's main music industry association. Peter Sunde, a co-founder of Pirate Bay and one of four men on trial, responded in a blog post titled "We're winning, stop hacking plz" writing: "If anyone involved in the acts going on is reading this — please stop, for our sake. We don't need that kind of support.... The hacking can only reflect on us badly and if you want to help us, please stop with the attacks."
3481847
submission
thefickler writes:
Sol Trujillo, controversial head of Australian telephone provider, Telstra, has had his pocket picked. Worse still a mobile phone, probably a HTC Touch Pro2 or the HTC Touch Diamond2, loaded with top-secret software was nicked at the same time. The interesting thing is that the pick pocket may not even know how special the stolen cellphone actually is.
3422173
submission
thefickler writes:
YouTube is extending its facility for users to directly download videos from the site. Following the launch of direct downloads of clips from Barack Obama's YouTube channel last month, the site is now letting leading American universities make lecture videos available to download. YouTube is also experimenting with chargeable downloads where users will pay for clips through Google Checkout. The firm isn't revealing the exact financial details other than saying it will take a small cut of the 99c per clip fee.
3384095
submission
thefickler writes:
If you really hate Linux Microsoft might have the perfect job opening for you. Micro$oft is looking for a Director of Open Source Desktop Strategy who "will be responsible for bringing our business strategy to life by discovering and sharing the market insights that set the foundation for our platform value dialogue with customers and the industry." In other words, they'll have to come up with reasons that will persuade people to stick with Microsoft products rather than switch to open source systems. Nice (not).
3324343
submission
thefickler writes:
MIT researchers have combined a mobile projector with a webcam and mobile phone to create a device that draws information from the environment. For example, the gadget recognizes products on store shelves and can provide product and price comparison information. The sixth sense device was cobbled together from common parts costing just $300. While the gadget is not being primed for mass release, it represents a forward-thinking way of blending technology with our environment.
3216697
submission
thefickler writes:
Charities and eyesight specialists are concerned that the energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs that have been mandated by the European Union don't provide enough light for people whose eyesight isn't 20/20. Apparently, the time it takes for the bulbs to warm up could result in people falling or tripping over, and the lower lighting makes it impossible for people with limited vision to be able to read or do things they could with incandescent bulbs.
3180611
submission
thefickler writes:
According to Microsoft's quarterly filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Zune platform experienced a revenue drop of 54 percent, or $100 million. This compares to relatively healthy sales of the iPod, which were up 3 percent in the same period (though revenue did drop by 16 percent). Obviously, with the recent job cuts at Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, pundits are wondering how soon until the Zune also gets the chop. As one pundit wrote: "Microsoft, by now, should be realizing that it's never going to be as "cool" as Apple, so why waste its time with the Zune where it has no competitive advantage?"
3152593
submission
thefickler writes:
YouTube is to attempt to raise revenues by allowing major media firms to sell their own advertising on their clips. The firms can even get cash from clips that have been illegally uploaded by users. The site says CBS is already on board for the scheme, with other giants expected to join. The scheme will allow TV, movie and music companies to upload content and then sell advertising themselves, for example through images or animations which are overlaid on suitable sections of the clips. YouTube will then take a cut of this advertising revenue.
3152113
submission
thefickler writes:
Unless you were in Washington DC watching the entire Inaugural Parade, chances are that you never got a chance to see NASA's next Lunar rover. It seems the Moon may have an electric vehicle, albeit one that appears to be made from at least a few spare parts. For those who have bemoaned the death of General Motors EV1 electric car, take heart. NASA bought a former GM EV1 inductive charger from eBay to charge the Chariot's batteries. I guess that's a sign of the times.
3085205
submission
thefickler writes:
The Chinese Government is expanding a crackdown on Internet pornography. Xinhua news agency, which is owned by the government and can safely be used for reporting in China, says the campaign to scrub the country's Internet of 'vulgar' content has so far resulted in 29 criminal cases. Police have ordered the removal of 46,000 pornographic and other 'harmful' items from websites. The latest crackdown comes after official warnings of rising social unrest as the economy slows. And it is no coincidence that this year is the twentieth anniversary of Tiananmen Square , or, to use the acceptable nomenclature, 'the June 4th incident'.
2955725
submission
thefickler writes:
The press is all of a twitter about the Kogan Agora Android phone. Kogan is a small company in Australia. What it does is sell, not make, electronic gadgetry. Well how does a small Australian firm make a breakthrough phone like this? And the answer is it doesn't. It goes to China and gets someone to make it. How do you find such people? You do not even have to go to China. Try searching Alibaba.com for an Android phone, and you'll see for yourself. If you look at the pictures of the Agora that are doing the rounds, you may come to the conclusion that the Agora is a little bit Blackberry, a little bit Treo, with a decent looking QWERTY keypad and square screen. True, it is a little bit of a lot of things. But mostly it is Chinese.
2927263
submission
thefickler writes:
According to programmers on Zuneboard, the recent problem that caused Zune players to stop working was the result of shoddy programing. Apparently a "nested if" had no escape if the original condition was not met.
