converter - Slashdot User

Submission + - AMD To Develop "Open-Source Friendly" GPUs (phoronix.com)

Submitted by skaroo on Saturday December 29, 2007 @09:44PM

skaroo writes: Phoronix is reporting that future AMD GPUs will be more open-source friendly. After AMD started releasing their GPG specifications to the open-source community, questions arose whether there would be information covering their Unified Video Decoder (UVD) found on the Radeon HD 2000 graphics cards. The UVD information is needed in order for hardware-accelerated video playback, but it likely cannot be opened as it's ingrained with DRM. However, an AMD representative said that moving to a modular UVD design is a requirement for future GPUs and that they will be more open-source friendly. They will also be opening the video acceleration information for their earlier graphics cards. A win for the open-source community or too little too late?

Submission + - RIAA Insanity-Suing People For Ripping CD's They P (fastsilicon.com) 2

Submitted by

mrneutron2003

on Saturday December 29, 2007 @08:52PM

mrneutron2003 writes: "With this past weeks announcement by Warner to release its entire catalog to Amazon in MP3 format with no Digital Rights Management, you would think that the organization that represents them, The Recording Industry Association of America , would begin changing its tune. However in an inane display of hubris and futility, the RIAA presses on in it's tirade against the very consumers its partners rely on buy (we're not making this up) suing individuals who merely rip CD's they've purchased legally.

The Washington Post reports on the case being fought by a Scottsdale Arizona man, Jeffrey Howell, who is being taken to task for ripping his own store bought CD's to his PC as a violation of copyright.

Now, in an unusual case in which an Arizona recipient of an RIAA letter has fought back in court rather than write a check to avoid hefty legal fees, the industry is taking its argument against music sharing one step further: In legal documents in its federal case against Jeffrey Howell, a Scottsdale, Ariz., man who kept a collection of about 2,000 music recordings on his personal computer, the industry maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer.

If the RIAA is successful here, it is safe to say that the overwhelming majority of American music consumers will soon be classified as criminals under the law for attempting to use media they've legally purchased in a manner they desire.
http://www.fastsilicon.com/off-the-wall/riaa-insanity-suing-people-for-ripping-cds-they-purchased.html"

Comment Re:Under Existing Noise Laws (Score 1) 396

by converter on Saturday December 15, 2007 @07:47PM (#21712536) Attached to: Beamed Sonic Advertising Is Coming

the noise ordinance in the city in which i live dictates a specific range in feet from the source that a noise can be heard before it is considered to be in violation. i'm sure it varies widely by jurisdiction in both the metrics for determining what noises violate the local laws and what the penalties are for violations.

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