43870715
submission
blackest_k writes:
Google has a major problem called Airpush and they seem to be ignoring it, its been around for two years already.
Airpush is an ad framework api which an increasing number of applications seem to be using. The first you know of your infestation is when a Star pops up in your notification tray. Clicking on this Star takes you to an advert of dubious quality which can be anything from a 12 euro a month subscription taken from your phone bill for one ringtone to win a gift voucher from a local chain.
These ads arrive fairly regularly each morning on your notification bar. So what you may ask? just uninstall the app thats generating these notifications, but it is not that easy as the offending app is not revealed.
With 163 installed apps on my system, I was struggling to find the culprit. I tried deleting running apps but still missed. Luckily as my net was slow one morning i caught sight of a url api.adpush and googling that I found
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brosmike.airpushdetector
a small free tool which identifies — Airpush — LeadBolt — Appenda — IAC — Moolah Media It doesn't block the ads but it does let you uninstall the source.
it found two apps on my tablet with the airpush framework.
Problem solved, for now. With updates to installed apps comes the possibility of this framework being part of the update Seems there have been cases of Apps that have updated and suddenly started with this behaviour. These apps are in the Play Store and there are many more like them.
Googles PlayStore is essentially a trusted repository, but by allowing these apps into the Playstore Google is betraying the trust of its users, developers and hardware manufacturers.
I don't have a problem with Ad supported apps. If the Ad becomes an issue I can buy the paid version or uninstall it. With the Adpush framework you have to look quite a bit harder.
The 10 innocent apps I deleted trying to remove this over the last month, now have lost revenue from their civilized ads. Many users are out of pocket and some may be unaware that there is a leech attached to their phone bill. If Android is untrustworthy then people will choose an alternative costing the hardware manufacturers too. If this applies to Android is it also the case with Chrome?
Google needs to nip this in the bud, without trust the Playstore is useless. You might as well use third party app stores with pirated content because the walled garden is no longer safe.
It is time for Google to start weeding out these unacceptable applications.
29384421
submission
blackest_k writes:
Basically, Friedrich created the character of Ghost Rider for Marvel in the '70s. It's not a matter of dispute, it's just a fact. Marvel owns the rights to the character and has ever since Friedrich signed his creation over to them three decades ago. However, before the first Ghost Rider film was released, Friedrich sued all involved under the belief that while Marvel undoubtedly owned the comic rights, he owned the film rights and should be involved both creatively and financially. He lost that lawsuit. That's not where things ended, though.
Friedrich has since made no further claims to the ownership of the character, he has, however, attempted to rightfully claim authorship of him in his private life. He's attended comics conventions and the likes as a paid guest, using his status as the creator of an iconic comic (and now film) character as his main source of income now that he's 68 years old. However, Marvel is still demanding in a court of law that Friedrich pay them the approximately $17,000 he's earned in retirement by acknowledging he's the creator of Ghost Rider.
Yes, you read that correctly. Marvel, a company that was recently purchased by Disney for $4 billion, is demanding that the person who created one of its most iconic and enduring characters — a person who is now 68 years old and is more or less broke after years of legal struggle — pay them his remaining $17,000 for having the gall to make money off of his history with the character.
The guy is 68 now and to pursue him for even being able to say 'yes I did that' stinks to high heaven
If any one wants to donate to help gary they can do so at this link http://www.steveniles.com/gary.html
29058339
submission
blackest_k writes:
When xxx domains went online many organisations bought domain names to avoid porn sites appearing using their name. One that didn't is the University of Hawaii which is now calling for tougher laws. Should there be tougher laws to outlaw this or was the xxx domain range created with the intention that people would be forced to buy xxx domains or face the consequences?
7482052
submission
blackest_k writes:
They certainly seem to be having a laugh
Samsung in April released a digital photo frame with a fairly unique feature "
In addition to running photo slide shows in a variety of formats, the SPF-87H can be linked to a computer and serve as a secondary mini-monitor. With its Power Saving feature, the photo frame runs on minimal power through its USB cable. "
Sounds good and useful , thinking dual head netbook maybe?
Unfortunately Samsung have messed up big time the supporting software has gone awol. www.displaylink.com has no drivers for these devices and Samsung has only released drivers for XP sp2 and Vista. Forget about does it run with Linux in response to a query on their website for windows 7 drivers. They suggest
"
We suggest you to use the Photo frame on Vista Operating system till further update is released for the Photo
frame. "
It Seems like Microsoft caught Samsung napping with the surprise release of windows 7.
For people interested in this technology, there are companies which get it.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/23/mimo-debuts-7-inch-imo-pivot-touch-monitor/
which doesn't work as a photo frame but is a working usb monitor with a touch screen and drivers for Windows Linux and OSX
Lilliput computing have a USB Monitor released as well and are working on a touch screen version due to go in production in about a month.
The Displaylink hardware continues to improve http://www.displaylink.com/displaylink_hardware.html with higher resolutions being supported
It's a crying shame Samsung have messed up what could have been the best selling digital frame / mini monitor this christmas.
6856052
submission
blackest_k writes:
A federal judge on Thursday ordered a Santa Cruz company to immediately quit selling Beatles and other music on its online site, setting aside a preposterous argument that it had copyrights on songs via a process called “psycho-acoustic simulation.”
A Los Angeles federal judge set aside arguments from Hank Risan, owner of BlueBeat and other companies named as defendants in the lawsuit EMI filed on Tuesday. His novel defense to allegations he was unlawfully selling the entire stereo Beatles catalog without permission was that he — and not EMI or the Beatles’ Apple Corp — owns these sound recordings, because he re-recorded new versions of the songs using what he termed “psycho-acoustic simulation.”
Risan faces perhaps millions of dollars in damages under the Copyright Act. And copyright attorneys said his defense was laughable and carries no weight. If successful, however, it would have turned copyright on its head, leaving musical rightsholders defenseless against wanton infringement.
“They’re hosed. ” said Scott Mackenzie, a Dallas copyright attorney
The sites still up and streaming for free, http://www.bluebeat.com/ and seems to be open to listeners everywhere even on Linux. How long can it last?
6509025
submission
blackest_k writes:
The Chinese manufacturer SungWorld has released a sleek-looking netbook that runs Windows CE 5.0 on a Via-manufactured ARM SoC (system on chip). With a 7-inch 800 x 480 pixel display and a weight of 1.54 pounds, the device will sell for just $73, according to the Shanzhaiben.com website.
but can it run Linux?
4430491
submission
blackest_k writes:
Microsoft has been making changes to Hotmail and not all of them are good. There are a small but determined group of individuals who use a tethered mobile phone to connect to the Internet, perhaps your away from home or havent got the option of fixed broadband, perhaps you have an Iphone or one of the many Smartphones that run windows mobile no matter which Microsoft has decided that your device isn't capable of displaying a standard web page and now automatically redirects all requests from 3g phone connections to http://mobile.msn.com/en-us/default.aspx no matter how many times you enter www.hotmail.com.
It wouldn't be so bad if Microsoft would even acknowledge the issue, http://windowslivehelp.com/community/p/48389/198405.aspx#198405 shows that my original thread posted in the hotmail community forums has been moved, to perhaps hide the issue, searching round there appears to be a number of people with this problem such as iPhone users now unable to access hotmail.com with safari for example, sad thing is i've used my hotmail account since dialup days using a 14.4k modem while a download speed of 0.371Mb isn't exactly fast these days its still faster than the old modems which had no issue connecting.
All thats really required is a simple user option to choose which hotmail interface to use. All the microsoft drones will say are things like "I've moved your post here in Non Hotmail Questions Forum.
If you are having issue accessing your account in your mobile phone, I have to refer you to Microsoft Mobile Support Team. To contact them, please visit the link below:
https://support.live.com/eform.aspx?productKey=wlmobile&ct=eformts"
Totally ignoring the fact its not a problem accessing from a mobile phone but a problem accessing hotmail when the connection is made via a mobile phone.
To add to the issue Hotmail can only be forwarded to another Hotmail account, thus ensuring no simple way of transfering your mail to Gmail for instance, where you get the interface you want and not the one Microsoft wants you to have.
Apparently this change was made within the last three weeks or so perhaps if Hotmail gets enough complaints from disgruntled users they might see sense and give the users of the Hotmail service a choice. I hoped using a non ISP email account I had escaped sending all my contacts a new email address every time i changed provider. Hotmail has decided to bring the bad old days back. This issue doesn't effect HSPDA Usb Dongle users just ones using cell phones to connect.
