1949749
submission
CSMatt writes:
Songbird 1.0, the free software cross-platform media player, has just been released. Songbird's features include smart playlists, Last.fm scrobbling, SHOUTCast support, the ability to play DRM-encumbered media using iTunes or Windows Media Player for authorization, and mashTape, which allows you to browse news, Last.fm biographies, Flickr photos, and YouTube videos related to the artist currently playing. Songbird can also be customized with third-party add-ons. The 1.0 release includes GStreamer support across all platforms (previous releases for Mac OS X and Windows used VLC for playback), mashTape improvements, and a new add-on updater.
1741683
submission
CSMatt writes:
Last week, the RIAA celebrated the signing of a ridiculous new law in Tennessee that says: "Each public and private institution of higher education in the state that has student residential computer networks shall: [...] [R]easonably attempt to prevent the infringement of copyrighted works over the institution's computer and network resources, if such institution receives fifty (50) or more legally valid notices of infringement as prescribed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 within the preceding year." While the entertainment industry failed to get "hard" requirements for universities in the Higher Education Act passed by Congress earlier this year, the RIAA succeeded in Tennessee (and is pushing in other states) with this provision that gives Big Content the ability to hold universities hostage through the use of infringement notices. Moreover, the new rules will cost Tennessee a pretty penny — in the cost review attached to the Tennessee bill, the state's Fiscal Review Committee estimates that the new obligations will initially cost the state a whopping $9.5 million for software, hardware, and personnel, with recurring annual costs of more than $1.5 million for personnel and maintenance.