Comment As an investor this just means... (Score 1) 419
Don't invest in North Carolina.
Comment Re:No cable. Just Roku and my laptop (Score 1) 697
Second that. Mainstream media in the US doesn't compare to Al Jazeera English.
Comment Color me unimpressed w/ the map itself. (Score 1) 182
Usability = 5 out of 10
Speed = 4
Design = 6
Comment Re:Internet war? No it's more dangerous than that. (Score 1) 385
Wow, talk about hyperbole...
Comment Re:U.S. is Barking up the Wrong Tree (Score 1) 385
Of course the Republicans want them to be a terrorist organization. The Republicans want everyone to be a terrorist organization. The more terrorists they can point to, the more fear they can peddle, the more money they can rake in and the more endless wars they can start.
Comment Re:In related news (Score 1) 385
Le Monde, El Pais, The Guardian, and Der Spiegel are the new Axis of Evil.
Let's see how quickly I can subscribe to them. Hell, I'll even donate.
Comment Re:Go read your history kid (Score 3, Insightful) 385
"When the government stops using its authority to make things secret to largely cover up fraud, waste, abuse of power..."
That is at the heart of this war. The US government and military have abused their ability to classify information to the point that classification has become meaningless.
"Secrecy is a tool of evil, pure and simple."
I don't agree here. Classification of information is essential to any government or military (to a point). Unless your ultimate goal is to get rid of government altogether, but that is a different discussion.
Comment Re:Internet war? No it's more dangerous than that. (Score 4, Insightful) 385
I agree that supporting Wikileaks in any capacity right now is one of the more dangerous things we can do. I have made small donations, so I'm probably under the Witch Hunt radar for now, but I really wonder how surprised I would be to have Feds knocking on my door over the holidays. The US government has acted more like North Korea than I ever would have expected and I think it has taken many by surprise. This just means that the US government will do some serious damage before the people en masse get a clue and try to stop it.
The one thing that I hope comes from all of this damage is that the US government and military stop abusing their ability to classify information.
Comment Re:These documents should not be released. (Score 1) 870
Bingo. In a perfect world the punishment would fit the crime. That, however, has not been the case in the US for far too long.
Comment Re:These documents should not be released. (Score 1) 870
Queue violin.
Comment Re:The new system (Score 1) 183
Yup, level 4, but what does that really say about us?
My guess is we are too far gone to actually be able to fix this. We have only one direction to go.
Supreme Court May Tune In To Music Download Case 339
droopus writes "The US Supreme Court is weighing into the first RIAA file-sharing case to reach its docket, requesting that the music labels' litigation arm respond to a case testing the so-called 'innocent infringer' defense to copyright infringement. The case pending before the justices concerns a federal appeals court's February decision ordering a university student to pay the Recording Industry Association of America $27,750 — $750 a track — for file-sharing 37 songs when she was a high school cheerleader. The appeals court decision reversed a Texas federal judge who, after concluding the youngster was an innocent infringer, ordered defendant Whitney Harper to pay $7,400 — or $200 per song. That's an amount well below the standard $750 fine required under the Copyright act. Harper is among the estimated 20,000 individuals the RIAA has sued for file-sharing music. The RIAA has decried Harper as 'vexatious,' because of her relentless legal jockeying."
Xbox Head Proclaims Blu-ray Dead 547
Blacklaw writes "Microsoft has sided with Apple in a rare case of solidarity between the two companies, and declares that Blu-ray will be 'passed by' as a high-definition format. In many ways, it's hard to disagree. US markets have seen the demand for legal digital downloads of PC games exceed sales of the physical object for the first time, and Apple famously refuses to put a Blu-ray drive in its Macs, as Jobs prefers to send people towards iTunes to download their entertainment. That said, there's an argument for physical media, too. A recent survey suggested that the majority of gamers prefer physical discs, and digital downloads have the secondary effect of entirely cutting out the popular market for second-hand films and games — a plus for publishers, but a big negative for the consumer."
Today's Children Are Officially Potty Mouths
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tetrahedrassface writes "When the Sociolinguistics Symposium met earlier this month swearing scholar Timothy Jay revealed that an increase in child swearing is directly related to an increase in adult swearing. It seems that vulgarity is increasing as pop culture continues to popularize vulgarities. The blame lies with media, public figures, politicians, but mostly ourselves. From the article: 'Children as young as two are now dropping f-bombs, with researchers reporting that more kids are using profanity — and at earlier ages — than has been recorded in at least three decades.'"
Paper-Thin Batteries Provide Bendable Power 102
SkinnyGuy writes "New carbon nanotube-based technology could literally allow companies to paint layers of electricity-holding lithium-ion on standard pieces of paper. The possibilities are endless." You can also read the actual paper.
