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Apple Releases New Touch Screen iPod 866

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the apple-loans-to-afford-all-the-new-toys-coming-soon dept.
JSM writes to tell us that Apple released a new version of their popular iPod music player today that boasts, among other things, an iPhone-like touch screen and Wi-Fi capabilities. "The iPod Touch will feature the Safari Internet browser and, like the iPhone, play YouTube videos. Apple also announced a new version of its iTunes music store that will allow users to buy songs wirelessly. iTunes will also sell customizable 99-cent ringtones for the iPhone."
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Is "borrowing" Wi-Fi ethical? (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Z80xxc!
Z80xxc! writes: BBC has written an article about "stealing" Wi-Fi, and whether or not it is ethical. After all of the recent attention given to arrests due to wireless borrowing, it makes me wonder what will happen in the future. Do you steal wireless? Do you think it's ethical? I do.
Patents

Submission + - 100 Terabyte 3.5-inch Digital Data Storage Disks (physorg.com)

Submitted by
oblonski
oblonski writes: "A very good article over at PhysOrg.com about a new patented technology that allows the manufacturing of 100 Terabyte 3.5" digital data storage discs There is lots of technical explanations and diagrams of the science involved. From the article: "Have you ever dreamt of 100 terabyte of data per 3.5-inch disk? New patented innovation nanotechnology from Michael E. Thomas, president of Colossal Storage Corporation, makes it real. Michael invented and patented the world's first and only concept for non-contact UV photon induced electric field poling of ferroelectric non-linear photonic bandgap crystals, which offers the possibility of controlling and manipulating light within a UV/Deep Blue frequency of 1 nm to 400 nm. It took him 14 years to find a practical conceptualization that would work to advance the storage industry; 3D Volume Holographic Optical Storage Nanotechnology, for which Michael holds the patents. He was invited to present this fascinating discovery to the National Science Foundation in February 2004. This invention and patents on a technique for changing matter at the molecular level is one of the World's only new enabling technologies, having many hundreds of electro-optic applications. Atomic Holographic Nanotechnology will allow for the first time a functional method for programmable molecular lenses that will allow incoming light to be rejected, modified internally, or allowed to pass unaltered through a transparent lens known as disk, tape, card, drum, film, etc. By being able to program optical lenses, many applications based on light and color can be developed, such as holographic storage, bio-terror detection devices, optical electronics, security products, and hundreds of other products never seen before on the world's markets. The small size of ferroelectric transparent structures makes it possible to fabricate nano-optical devices, such as volume holographic storage, having both positive and negative index of refraction that will allow molecular particles of an atomic size to be modified, controlled, and changed to perform a specific function, desired task, used for low cost accurate chemical / biological matter detection, and reprogrammed to accept new non-volatile data and molecular functions. ""
Announcements

Submission + - Top 5 Most Overrated People In The Industry

Submitted by
njkid1
njkid1 writes: "Peruse any video game forum and you'll stumble across crazed fans who put their idols (in this case, game developers and corporate figureheads) on golden pedestals. There's nothing wrong with that per se, but we decided to dig a little deeper to see if theselegendary figures live up to the hype. Behold, the top five most overrated industry people. Try not to pop a blood vessel."
Music

Submission + - SIRA back on the table

Submitted by
Mateo_LeFou
Mateo_LeFou writes: "The Section 115 Reform Act, part of last year's attempt to impose a licensing regime on ephemeral copies of music (think browser cache, RAM, etc.), seems to be alive and well. The new chairman of the "Intellectual Property" subcommittee (a nd distinguished representative from Hollywood) agrees with the copyright registrar that CD sales are falling because of — you guessed it — piracy, and that this slide can be stopped by making the rules about what computers can legally do with music a lot more complicated. Video here"
Businesses

EU Bans Sock-Puppet Blogs 393

Posted by kdawson from the named-and-shamed dept.
PhilipMarlowe9000 writes in with news of a new EU directive that will take effect in the UK at the end of this year to ban "sock-puppet" reviews or websites, part of an EU-wide overhaul of consumer laws. From the article: "Businesses that write fake blog entries or create whole wesbites purporting to be created by customers will fall foul of a European directive banning them from 'falsely representing oneself as a consumer.' From December 31, when the change becomes law in the UK, they can be named and shamed by trading standards or taken to court. The Times has learnt that the new regulations also will apply to authors who praise their own books under a fake identity on websites such as Amazon."
Security

Submission + - "Hacking" a Fake Snow Day

Submitted by
Class Act Dynamo
Class Act Dynamo writes: "Two students in Trenton, Ohio face expulsion from their school and possibly some time in juvie for posting a fake snow-related announcement on the school district website. According to the article, there was no hacking involved. The girls somehow must have gotten the password. It will be interesting to find out how that happened. We'll probably find out next week that it was on a post-it note on the principle's desk."
Software

Submission + - Do current Copyright laws still allow for backups?

Submitted by Ka D'Argo
Ka D'Argo writes: I had a conversation with a associate of mine about making backups of software or music cd's. This person says under the new laws with DRM, copyright and fair use, you as a consumer are no longer allowed to copy in anyway such things. I say, as it's been for god knows how long, you are still able to make a backup of something you legally own. Common sense even says, it's yours to do with as you please if you legally own it (aside from distributing copies for example). So what's the deal? Under current laws that may or may not have been updated lately, can a consumer make a backup copy of a piece of software or music cd?
Privacy

Submission + - UK police given power to search without cause

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Tony Blair announced today that UK police are to be given new powers to enter and search the homes of convicted sex offenders, with or without "suspicion of a crime".

The powers, which come into effect later this year, allow police to enter a property to look for evidence that a paedophile might be planning an offence.

Officers will search computers as well as looking for evidence of magazines, or the presence of children's toys or clothes.

However, unlike now when they can enter a property only if they have a reasonable belief a crime may be committed, the new power allows searches even where no such evidence exists.


What if they find virus tools on the computer? Does their unlimited search power restrict the scope of their search to children's clothing or photos?

The law essentially gives the police the power to "search whenever we want for whatever reason". Seeing how this is already common practice in the case of those on parole or probation, the new law clearly applies to those offenders who have completed all aspects of their sentence and are "free men" (as it were).

That is likely to raise some civil liberties concerns, but ministers believe the public will support the move.


Is the "pedophile panic" just a convienant tool on which to pass this legislation or is this new law justified to bring further reductions to child abuse?
The Internet

Submission + - how to stay anonymous online?

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: With recent news about certain industries giving people problems for even legal use of torrent clients and various instances of government snooping etc, I'm wondering how one can stay anonymous and still (without being a jerk abusing the TOR system) being able to download/upload large files?
Math

Submission + - Statistical Accuracy of Internet Weather Forecasts

Submitted by
markmcb
markmcb writes: "Brandon Hansen considers the statistical accuracy of popular on-line weather forecast sources and shows who's on target, and on who you probably shouldn't rely. Motivated by a trip to a water park that was spoiled with hail despite a 'clear sky' forecast, he does a nice job of depicting deviations, averages, and overall accuracy in a manner that stats junkies are sure to love. From the article, 'Accuweather was the clear leader in anything greater than 10 days in advance ... many of the other less accurate weather forecasts seem[ed] to be practically worthless for all but the most optimistic.'"
Biotech

Submission + - Brain scanner can read people's intentions

Submitted by Vainglorious Coward
Vainglorious Coward writes: Reality continues to catch up with Nineteen Eighty-Four with the announcement of the development of a brain scanner that can read a person's intentions. 'It's like shining a torch around, looking for writing on a wall,' said the leader of the project, Professor John-Dylan Haynes . Demonstrating his own mastery of doublethink, Haynes continued 'We see the danger that this might become compulsory one day, but we have to be aware that if we prohibit it, we are also denying people who aren't going to commit any crime the possibility of proving their innocence.'

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