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Submission + - The Government Official that fights for IP reform.

Submitted by had3l
had3l writes: Gilberto Gil, the man responsible for Brazil's Ministry of Culture and one of the top-level Brazilian government officials is an example to be followed. He has made it his duty to fight draconian copyright laws: "Digital culture brings with it a new idea of intellectual property, and this new culture of sharing should inform government policies." He has been been advocating the use of the Creative Commons license for a while now, and needless to say, the recording companies aren't happy.
Science

The Quest for the Car of the Future 434

Posted by Zonk from the zippy-go-fast dept.
Lux writes "Where will the car of the future come from? It's unlikely to come from anywhere you'd expect it to. Wired's money is on the car of the future coming from NASA. 'New technology that promises to revolutionize the automobile as we know it is emerging from research institutions and startups — and these innovations won't set you back $100,000 like a Tesla will... One experiment involves small electric motors located in the wheels of the CityCar, a tiny, nimble and practically silent vehicle with wheels that turn 360 degrees, enabling it to slip neatly into tight urban parking spaces. Others are looking to revolutionize the automobile's engine, not replace it.'"
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Inventors claim truck runs on hydraulic power (t-g.com)

Submitted by
BenjiTheGreat98
BenjiTheGreat98 writes: "From the article: "Randy Nichols and Andrew Lamb of Unionville [TN] appear to have actually come up with a way of getting around without filling up the gas tank. And with this truck, there isn't much of a choice, because it doesn't have anyplace for the fuel." It hasn't been confirmed outside of the article in this small town paper's story, but a very interesting concept. Hopefully, the gas companies don't have them "done away with" as they said."
Quickies

Submission + - How do you become a Beta Tester?

Submitted by
daddybc
daddybc writes: "The first question is "Why would anyone want to be a Beta tester?" The hardware or software has problems, and you have to spend time finding, reporting and resolving issues. Sometimes it takes a whole bunch of your time. But if you want to be a tester, here is how you can do it."
Bug

Submission + - 45th bugday

Submitted by
Dimitry Bradt
Dimitry Bradt writes: "Gentoo Linux is having it's 45th bugday next saturnday!
You have probably asked yourself: "What is bugday?". Well, that's the super cool user-relations project where users and developers are working together with one same objective, namely: fixing various bugs in Gentoo. Bugday is an event which is held every first saturnday of the month in #gentoo-bugs on irc.freenode.org. We(read as: Gentoo) promote it to have it take place in lugs, because it is all about having fun, learning, meeting new people who love gentoo and off course, it is also about fixing bugs :-)

History
Once upon a time, or august 2nd, 2003 in the common year counting, Iggy created the bugday project, by making the GLEP6 proposal. He pretty much based gentoo bugdays on similar ideas from python and other projects that have had irregularly scheduled bugdays or bugsprints for many years. Iggy lead bugday the first year approximately and then resigned from gentoo because of real life issues etc. After the bugday creator resigned Bryan Østergaard took over as bugday lead which lasted about 2 years or so until he handed the project over to Alexander Færøy, the current bugday project lead. Back then, bugday lead to the expension of developers base, such as port001, puggy, pyrania and kloeri.

What is bugday now?
The bugday project is currently based on a small group of developers, who in most cases have no specific roles. We are currently looking for contributors, since most users who stay around in the bugday project become developers.

How does it work?
We list some bugs on http://bugday.gentoo.org/ with a direct link to our Bugzilla setup (http://bugs.gentoo.org). Then users can write fixes, or suggest how to fix problems. After that developers can commit the fixes from users to the gentoo-x86 cvs-repository. In the future users will have access to bugday.gentoo.org, trough their bugzilla login information.

Can I contribute?
Off course! It really doesn't take any special knowledge to fix bugs. While your working with bugs, we learn you about the Gentoo development process to speed up the repairing of bugs. The bugday is also a prefect place to get invited to the gentoo development project. We are actually constantly recruiting potential users, since Gentoo is growing very fast."
Microsoft

Submission + - 1989 Bill Gates Talk on Microsoft

Submitted by
Holden Karau
Holden Karau writes: "NewsForge has an article on a recently recovered talk Bill Gates gave back in 1989 to the University of Waterloo. Among other things, Bill talks about how in 1981, he thought that 640k would be ok for at least 10 years. Is this the source of the oft quoted Gates quote on 640k? He also covers lots of other topics, including OS/2, software piracy, the history of the software industry, and his role at Microsoft."
The Internet

Berners-Lee Speaks Out Against DRM, Advocates Net Neutrality 187

Posted by Zonk from the papa-don't-speak-i'm-in-trouble dept.
narramissic writes "Speaking before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee advocated for net neutrality, saying that the Web deserves 'special treatment' as a communications medium to protect its nondiscriminatory approach to content. Berners-Lee's more controversial statements came on the topic of DRM, in which he suggested that instead of DRM, copyright holders should provide information on how to legally use online material, allowing users the opportunity 'to do the right thing.' This led to an odd exchange with Representative Mary Bono who compared Berner-Lee's suggestion to 'having a speed limit but not enforcing the speed limit.'"
PHP

Submission + - Suggestions for comment / collaboration software?

Submitted by
quixote9
quixote9 writes: "I'm looking for an online way that a group of people can comment on each others' manuscripts. Ideally, the software would be a php script that runs in any browser. I'd like it to show the original ms in one pane, say on the left, and the comments, if any, in a right side pane. Comment position in the right pane would be fixed relative to the paragraph it relates to in the original ms. Multiple comments about the same original point would appear on separate lines, as close to the correct position as feasible. Comments could be collapsed completely, show just the first line, or be expanded to full length temporarily. The original could be saved with all the added comments, if desired.

For my purposes, this would be a system for collaborative review, not for a top-down, boss-worker, teacher-student type of situation. There's no need for grading, for someone's comments to have priority, for some people to be unable to comment, and the like. Although if these things are there, it doesn't matter so long as they're optional.

Is there anything like this out there anywhere? Moodle courseware has a "workshop" module, but it's top-down, and the original and the comments aren't visible together. I see complicated php scripts on sourceforge, freshmeat & some php sites for "enterprise level workflow coordination" and simple ones to coordinate calendars. I don't even know how to search for what I'd like. No matter what terms I use, I wind up back in enterprise whiteboard chatspace.

If the reason I can't find it is because it doesn't exist, any suggestins for how a complete n00b should go about cobbling together a php script to do this?"
Graphics

Submission + - Graphics Made Simple with SWG for Eclipse

Submitted by Adi Lane
Adi Lane writes: Simplify the task of including business graphics in rich-client applications with Standard Widget Graphics (SWG), a set of standard graphic objects built into the SWT from Eclipse. SWG provides new widget controls and an animation framework that share a common programming model with the existing controls in SWT.
The Media

Submission + - MusicPlusTV.com's Version 3 Sneak Preview

Submitted by
Bryan Kim
Bryan Kim writes: "You are receiving this under-the-wire sneak preview announcement of MusicPlusTV.com's Version 3 soft-launch as a special thank you for showing interest and/or coverage of MusicPlusTV.com. The official over-the wire press release is scheduled to cross on Tuesday, March 6.

First and foremost, Version 3 is up and running, which you can check out for yourself at http://www.musicplustv.com./ We put together a video tour of the new site, exhibiting some of our new features: http://v3.musicplustv.com/6781/

In short, MusicPlusTV.com's version 3 website greatly expands the interactive nature of our web portal. The newly developed social networking "profiles" or "channels" engages artists, users and viewers to a deeper level than ever before. We're especially proud of our multiple file uploader, capable of uploading up to 300 files at a total of 36 GBs, in one simple interface. Furthermore, unlimited bandwidth will insure that access to our users' content will never exceed any arbitrary quotas.

Your expert feedback will be greatly appreciated. Send all feedback to me (Bryan) or send directly contact the developers — Rev. Mitzc and Mike Defreitas — on their M+ Developers blog: http://v3.musicplustv.com/mplusdev/blog/ . Rest assured, they actually do read their comments and take them seriously.

So without further ado, some highlight features of MusicPlusTV.com's all-new website:

1.) Social Networking:

MusicPlusTV.com's Version 3 website is a radical departure from our old site. With the creation of social networking "channels", our viewers and users can take advantage of several innovative features

A.) File Uploading:

        Simultaneously upload multiple photo/video/audio, via M+'s Multiple File Uploader
        Host TONS of content: 100 files per type (300 total), 120MBs per file
        Effectively capable of uploading 300 files at 36GB in fell swoop

B.) Unlimited Bandwidth

        Unlimited Bandwidth on uploaded content linked or embedded on outside sites
        No more "user has exceeded their bandwidth" messages
        M+ will host content for your MySpace, Facebook, blogs, etc.

C.) Message/Alerts:

        Every conceivable update/interaction will send alert to user's M+ inbox
        Alerts can be customized or turned off completely, according to user preference
        Users will be able to tell if their sent message was read by recipient
        In development: alerts will also be sent to email registered under user's profile

D.) Customization

        No blocking of "competing content". "About Me" area can switch to "HTML mode" and coded with embedded HTML.
        Inline CSS, usage of most HTML tags
        In development: Robust customization system for both professional and casual designers
        Will maintain structurally sound coding to ensure smooth online experience (unlike Myspace). Our developers expand upon this concept here: http://v3.musicplustv.com/mplusdev/blog/70/

D.) Comments:

        Threaded Comments: reply to specific comments and create conversations
        Number of comments per page will be dependent on threads, making for dynamic and intuitive interaction
        User will be alerted to all comment replies, including those on other profiles.

F.) Blogs:

        Suite of HTML tools to create blogs.
        Subscribers of user blogs will receive alerts.
        All MusicPlusTV.com announcements including news, press and website programming will be made through their respective blogs:

+ General: http://v3.musicplustv.com/musicplus/blog/
        + Press: http://v3.musicplustv.com/mpluspr/blog/
        + Website Design: http://v3.musicplustv.com/mplusdev

2.) Searchable, Categorized Content:

The "Browse Content" tab will take you to one central place hosting ALL content, including M+ content and user uploaded content. All content is searchable by keyword, supplemented by a rich menu of filters. We encourage several layers of descriptive tags/categorization for each item uploaded.

3.) Exclusive MusicPlusTV.com Video Content

A by product of over 3 years of content production, MusicPlusTV.com houses literally thousands of hours of exclusive shows, interviews, live performances, music videos and other video content. All of MusicPlusTV.com's hosted video content is fully-embeddable, and can be easily integrated into any web-property via the branded MusicPlusTV video player.

4.) 2X Resolution Television Stream:

All the new bells and whistles of MusicPlusTV.com's V3 website are anchored by our bread and butter product — the live, 24/7 television stream. Going strong since June of 2005, version 3 DOUBLES the resolution on our stream, making the pop-out, expandable Flash player that much easier on the eyes.

Scaled back in preparation for V3 launch, live production will resume to a full lineup of programming on March 20. MusicPlusTV.com will be rolling out several new programs within the next few weeks, including documentary-style, narrative-based, pre-recorded, sports-based, and lifestyle-based television shows. Furthermore, a second stream is being developed to showcase the best in independent films.

The biggest stage on our online platform, the stream will expose the best content of our artists and users. After all, exposing up-and-coming artists to new audiences is why MusicPlusTV.com started in the first place.

Features in the works:

        Robust customizable system sans non-standard HTML coding and spyware.
        Direct transfer of M plus content into individual channel/profile player
        Friend sorting: arranging friends on profile front page
        Full daily programming will resume on March 20.
        Second stream featuring independent films

Media Contact:

Bryan Kim
MusicPlusTV.com
Director of Media Relations
bryan@musicplustv.com
213-805-0832"
Announcements

Submission + - Hostedtoday.com To Plant a Tree for Each Customer

Submitted by
Rodney Ringler
Rodney Ringler writes: "Hostedtoday.com To Plant a Tree for Each Customer as Part of Carbon Neutral Effort March, 2007- Hostedtoday.com, one of the leading Web Hosting Companies, announces that they are now planting trees for every new sign up. Hostedtoday is planting the trees as a part of its corporate conscienceness effort to help society and also to become carbon neutral. Hostedtoday has come forward with this initiative in order to help the environment and make it "carbon neutral". They hope this program will start a trend among technology and internet companies. Going carbon neutral is an easy way for us all to contribute to solving a global problem by taking responsibility for the carbon dioxide emissions we create with our energy use. One effective way we can combat greenhouse gas emissions is to plant trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide while they grow and trap it for years to come. On average, over 30 years, a tree planted will absorb 230kg of CO2. Trees also help to combat salinity, reduce soil erosion, clean underground water systems and provide habitat for wildlife. These steps are taken by HostedToday to provide the general public with quality arboriculture, or tree care. One of HostedToday's missions is to educate and help the public acquire an understanding of the importance of companies to be responsible members of society and contribute to a better world for all of us. About HostedToday.com Hostedtoday.com is a leading web hosting company that has been in business for 5 years. HostedToday prides itself on the best customer service and support at affordable prices. All servers have multiple cpu's, RAID mirrored drives, and are spread across multiple datacenters to ensure maximum uptime. HostedToday has been awarded numerous industry awards and enjoys one of the highest rention rates in the industry. They also provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee 30 day money back refund with no questions asked."
Software

Submission + - Joost to Announce Deal With JumpTV

Submitted by
TIME Magazine
TIME Magazine writes: "TIME Exclusive: Joost Plans to Announce Deal With JumpTV. TIME has learned that Joost will announce "a deal with JumpTV, the world's largest distributor of international TV stations, to begin distributing programming from some of the 270 stations in 70 countries that JumpTV owns rights to." TIME's Jeremy Caplan calls Joost a "potentially huge revolution" that will move TV to the internet, with easy-to-use, dvd-quality features and the possibility of more than 50,000 channels. He writes, "Viacom, which recently yanked its programs from YouTube, has now signed a deal to supply Joost with movies from Paramount and programming from MTV , Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and other stations." Complete story at http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1 595049,00.html The March 12, 2007 issue of TIME goes on sale on Friday, March 2"
Enlightenment

Submission + - Youtube a KM platform?

Submitted by
Arjun Thomas
Arjun Thomas writes: "YouTube a KM Platform?? Are you out of your mind? thats probably the first reaction you had when you read the title of this post. Honestly? i dont blame you , i was having the same thoughts a week ago , but then as you know when an idea takes hold it takes a while to shake off. So I asked myself this very simple question, What makes a good KM platform? and then started listing the points down one by one. This is what i've come up with so far ( this is a very basic list, so bear with me) . ..... read more here ( http://itsallkm.wordpress.com/2007/02/17/youtube-a -km-platform/ )"

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