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Music

Copyright Cutback Proposed As RIAA Solution 709

Posted by CmdrTaco from the things-that-would-help-but-are-impossible dept.
An anonymous reader writes "InfoWeek blogger Alex Wolfe proposes a novel solution to the ongoing spate of RIAA lawsuits over alleged music copying. He suggests legislation which cuts back corporate copyrights from 120 years to 5 years. 'We should do what we do to children who misbehave,' he writes. 'Take away their privileges.' Wolfe says this is regardless of the misunderstanding surrounding the latest case, which apparently isn't about ripping CDs to one's own computer. As to those who say copyrights are a right: "That's simply a misunderstanding of their purpose. Copyrights, like patents, weren't implemented to protect their owners in perpetuity. They are part of a dance which attempts to balance off societal benefits against incentives for writers and inventors. You want to incentivize people to push the state of the creative and technical arts, but you don't want give those folks such overbearing protections that future advances by other innovators are stifled." What do you think; is it time to cut off the record industry?"
Media

Most Consumers Sitting Out The High-Def War 681

Posted by Zonk from the might-be-early-to-choose-sides dept.
The New York Times notes that, despite the increasing variety of programs on the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats, most US consumers are staying out of the DVD format war. This is a wise decision, the article states, because the two formats are essentially at a stalemate. "The two camps are victims of their own earlier success with DVD. The standard DVDs offered a quantum leap in quality from the picture and sound of VHS videotape, and for many that was more than adequate. In addition, DVD players that can convert images to near high-definition quality can be found for under $100, hundreds less than a true high-definition DVD player, further reducing the urgency to upgrade to one of the new formats."
Networking

Submission + - Obama backs Network Neutrality (youtube.com)

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Barack Obama, in a speech at Google (youtube link), said that he would "take a back seat to no one" in his support of network neutrality, and said he intends to double Federal funding for science and to make the R&D tax credit permanent. Could Obama be the first mainstream candidate to start understanding geek issues?
It's funny. Laugh.

Submission + - Chuck Norris sues, says his tears no cancer cure (reuters.com) 2

Submitted by Google85
Google85 writes: Chuck Norris sued publisher Penguin on Friday over a book he claims unfairly exploits his famous name, based on a satirical Internet list of "mythical facts" about him.
The book capitalizes on "mythical facts" that have been circulating on the Internet since 2005 that poke fun at Norris' tough-guy image and super-human abilities, the suit said.
Amiga

Submission + - Amiga OS 4.0 to run on BlueGene processors 2

Submitted by
Amigan
Amigan writes: "Recent announcements by Hyperion Entertainment concerning Amiga OS 4.0 seem to show promise that the OS will finally see the light of day. Included in the announcement is the ability to run the new OS on classic Amigas with a PowerPC add-on board. Also, a new hardware partner, A-Cube Systems has been introduced. This company is producing new hardware based on the ppc440 — the same processor used in IBM's top500 Blue Gene/L."
Sci-Fi

Firefly Lives - New Comics in 2008 117

Posted by Zonk from the told-you-they-couldn't-take-the-sky-from-me dept.
gambit3 writes "'Serenity: Better Days' will be released as a 3 part comic in early 2008. The series is a step back in time to the early years of the Firefly crew, and the fledgling gang's turbulent attempts to cope with success after they pull off their first successful heist. It features the same creative team as Those Left Behind, with the story by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, art by Will Conrad, and Adam Hughes providing all three covers this time." Ironic, considering today's brand-new poll.
Censorship

The Register Exposes More Wikipedia Abuse 524

Posted by Zonk from the it's-the-internet-how-could-there-not-be-drama dept.
cyofee writes "The Register has up another article exposing abuse of Wikipedia's policies and processes. It tells a tale of a man, Gary Weiss, controlling the Wikipedia article about himself and his enemies (one of Wikipedia's biggest taboos) all under the blessing of the Wikipedia Cabal. A man who attempted to expose the affair on Wikipedia, along with his his entire IP range (some 1000 homes), was permanently blocked. This comes only days after the affair of the Secret Mailing list."
Toys

Why Microsoft's Zune is Still Failing 593

Posted by Zonk from the fall-over-dead dept.
DECS writes "Last winter, RDM detailed why Microsoft's iPod Killer would fail miserably. This year, the site argues, Microsoft will fail again, but for a new set of reasons. It is not obvious that the company has figured this out itself. 'Microsoft doesn't seem to learn from its mistakes in consumer electronics very well. When it does however, it frequently gets the timing wrong. This year, Microsoft appears set to compete against the Apple of 2006. It now offers two flash models, last year's leftover 30 GB unit, and new 80 GB version. The problem is that Apple moved the goalpost dramatically. Apple's new 3G Nano is ultra thin and small, but delivers the same video resolution as Microsoft's boxy flash Zunes at the same price. It also plays games.'"
Wii

Wal-Mart's Terrible Nintendo Wii Knock-Offs 490

Posted by Zonk from the anything-for-a-buck dept.
MaryAlan writes "Wal-Mart is now selling an electronic LCD game in the kid's section that resembles a Wiimote so closely that even Wal-Mart employees can't tell them apart in a picture. But the games — made by ToyQuest out of L.A. — are complete and utter crap, to the point of being unplayable. Their only redeeming feature is that they look like the Nintendo Wii, which means Wal-Mart is relying on brand confusion to sell any of these things to unsuspecting customers. There is a gallery of photos online, so you can take a look at side-by-side pictures with a true Wiimote, down to the fake speaker on the front. "
Security

Virtualization Decreases Security 340

Posted by kdawson from the more-chances-to-blow-it dept.
ParaFan writes "In a fascinating story on KernelTrap, Theo de Raadt asserts that while virtualization can increase hardware utilization, it does not in any way improve security. In fact, he contends the exact opposite is true: 'You are absolutely deluded, if not stupid, if you think that a worldwide collection of software engineers who can't write operating systems or applications without security holes, can then turn around and suddenly write virtualization layers without security holes.' de Raadt argues that the lack of support for process isolation on x86 hardware combined with numerous bugs in the architecture are a formula for virtualization decreasing overall security, not increasing it."
It's funny. Laugh.

Submission + - Sam Adams vs Sam Adams 2

Submitted by
peacefinder
peacefinder writes: "Sam Adams recently announced he's running for Mayor of Portland, Oregon. A few of his fans registered a couple of websites on his behalf. The brewer of Samuel Adams beer noticed these new domains, and sent the registrants a Cease-and-Desist Letter claiming trademark infringement. Local bloggers are calling for a boycott of the beer, while another claims that — if there exists real confusion — Boston Brewing may be violating Oregon election law by continuing to sell its beer here. Can the Portland Beer Party be far behind?"

OS X Leopard Ships On October 26th 762

Posted by Zonk from the big-cat-in-my-laptop dept.
David in AZ writes "According to the Apple website, Mac OS X Leopard will start shipping on October 26! From their blurb: 'Packed with more than 300 new features, Mac OS X Leopard goes on sale Friday, October 26, at 6:00 p.m. at Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers, Apple announced today. And, beginning today, customers can place pre-orders on Apple's online store. "Leopard, the sixth major release of Mac OS X, is the best upgrade we've ever released," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "And everyone gets the 'Ultimate' version, packed with all the new innovative features, for just $129.""
Biotech

Submission + - US Scientist Creates Artificial Life (google.com)

Submitted by
Joshocar
Joshocar writes: "US scientist, Craig Venter announced that he has created artificial life. Venter stated that it is "a very important philosophical step in the history of our species." He added, "We are going from reading our genetic code to the ability to write it. That gives us the hypothetical ability to do things never contemplated before." In the lab, Venter was able to construct and write genetic code from laboratory chemicals. The next step is to insert this code into a cell, which has already been demonstrated in the past. This ability to write genetic code could result in new ways to combat global warming and new drugs, but it could also lead to new bio-weapons."

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