Journal Journal: RIAA tells YouTube to remove free guitar lessons 341
Is it so wrong to learn how to play the guitar? According to RIAA: Yes. According to NPR, a record company ordered YouTube to remove videos of a man who offered to show people how to play the guitar because the songs he was teaching violated copyright infringement rules. How could this constitute as infringement if most musicians usually experiement to find something that sounds familiar? I've never had a guitar less
Journal Journal: Attention iPhone Users! 20
If any of you are using an iPhone and are willing to help test out some Slashdot handheld crap, shoot me off a note... my email is the same address as always, and if you can't guess it, you probably can't help anyway ;) I've built a stylesheet and Tim put together a few little options that we think will make a few bits of Slashdot look nice on an iPhone (or really most lower resolution displays) but unfortunately none of us actually HAVE one yet... so anyway, let us know. Or
Submission + - A Windows-Based Packaging Mechanism
FishWithAHammer writes: "As part of my Google Summer of Code project, I'm working with WinLibre to develop a vaguely Debian-esque software download system for Free/open source software on the Windows platform. My reasoning is that open-source software suffers from poor presentation. Most computer laymen, even those aware of open source software, often don't have any idea how to go looking for it — their Google-fu is lacking — but would use it were it easier to access. What I have proposed is both a Debian-style packaging mechanism (capable of using Windows Installer MSIs or not, as the user wishes) and a software "catalog" that takes the best aspects of Synaptic and Linspire's Click-N-Run system. Seamless, simple installation and removal of programs in as straightforward a way as apt-get (there will be a command-line tool as well). I'm posting to Slashdot to get the ideas of you lot who, while you may not be the target audience, can certainly provide insights that can be of value.
There are areas that I'm personally not familiar with, and while I have done some research I would like the opinions of Slashdotters on some others. While at first I intend to set it up so that WinLibre (and I) run only one repository, I am curious as to how this sort of tool could be most useful to network administrators. Customizable repositories will be available; the code will be under the GPL, after all, so it'd be a little hard for them not to be available.
I'm also interested in the ideas of those who might be in a position to roll together packages. I intend to package a number of open-source language interpreters with the core software to allow special pre- and post-install scripts, as well as removal scripts. C#Script, Perl, and Python are definites, as is a Cygwin sh interpreter. We will have some program requirements — chief among them that no registry changes may be made by the program — but some of them, I fear, will require some flexibility; some programs really do require a way to edit the registry, for example, and I am considering offering some sort of tracked way to make registry changes so they can be rolled back on uninstallation of the program.
I'd love to hear what Slashdotters think of this. Think of it as a wishlist, but you don't get any damn ponies.
Ed Ropple (FishWithAHammer)"
There are areas that I'm personally not familiar with, and while I have done some research I would like the opinions of Slashdotters on some others. While at first I intend to set it up so that WinLibre (and I) run only one repository, I am curious as to how this sort of tool could be most useful to network administrators. Customizable repositories will be available; the code will be under the GPL, after all, so it'd be a little hard for them not to be available.
I'm also interested in the ideas of those who might be in a position to roll together packages. I intend to package a number of open-source language interpreters with the core software to allow special pre- and post-install scripts, as well as removal scripts. C#Script, Perl, and Python are definites, as is a Cygwin sh interpreter. We will have some program requirements — chief among them that no registry changes may be made by the program — but some of them, I fear, will require some flexibility; some programs really do require a way to edit the registry, for example, and I am considering offering some sort of tracked way to make registry changes so they can be rolled back on uninstallation of the program.
I'd love to hear what Slashdotters think of this. Think of it as a wishlist, but you don't get any damn ponies.
Ed Ropple (FishWithAHammer)"
Submission + - PhpBB3 RC1 Released
Mia'cova writes: phpBB3 RC1 was released today. Version 2 was initially released five years ago in 2002. This marks a major next step in the development of the platform. Some new features include multiple attachments, unlimited subforums, custom bbcodes, a user control panel, jabber notifications, and friend/foe lists. Check out a longer feature list and keep an eye out for your favorite phpBB-powered forums to start getting updated.
Submission + - Charles Schwab Picture Passwords Debuts, is Hacked
An anonymous reader writes: At the Internet Identity Workshop, Vidoop announced a picture password scheme that will be used by Charles Schwab. Starting in August, Charles Schwab users will be able to login by choosing the correct image of a pizza or car, using their scheme that is invulnerable to phishing, keyloggers and "all prevalent forms of hacking", according to Vidoop's TV commercial on YouTube. At the same workshop, Harvard researchers announced that they had broken the scheme in a few hours, and they posted a video of the attack. This relates to the Boarding Pass Guy's attack on Bank of America's SiteKey and to a previous Harvard study on SiteKey that shows how easily users get phished.
Submission + - Google Maps Boston to London
minus_273 writes: "Google Maps was upgraded today and now has instruction on how to get to London from Boston the method used is incredibly clever. What will they think of next?"
Submission + - Man Crushes Testicle With Wii Controller
Bony Tlair writes: "A Leeds accident and emergency unit reported that a man was admitted to hospital in the early hours of april the 1st with severe injuries to his testical after playing with his Nintendo Wii console in the nude. Doctors reported that he had apparently jerked his Wii so hard he accidently crushed a testicle by jamming the controller against a loose testical. Doctors advised him not play with his Wii again until the swelling went down.
http://www.maxitmag.com/game-on/game-articles/man- crushes-testical-with-wii-controller.html"
Submission + - RIAA Can't Have Defendant's Son's Desktop
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "The RIAA's attempt to get Ms. Lindor's son's desktop computer in UMG v. Lindor has been rejected by the Magistrate Judge. The judge said that the RIAA
Decision by Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy. (pdf)""offered little more than speculation to support their request for an inspection of Mr. Raymond's desktop computer, based on... his family relationship to the defendant, the proximity of his house to the defendant's house, and his determined defense of his mother in this case. That is not enough. On the record before me, plaintiffs have provided scant basis to authorize an inspection of Mr. Raymond's desktop computer."
Submission + - Slashdot announces Slashdot Personals
mi writes: "After years of development and testing, Slashdot is responding to market demand with today's announcement of free Slashdot Personals (Beta): "We have long felt, this would be a good idea, and today we finally bring it to fruition. We have a strong and loyal community and there is no reason, we should not try to facilitate dating among the members. This is a long-term investment for us — nerds' offsprings will start becoming loyal users as soon as within 10 years," — said Commander Taco..."
Submission + - Proof Dog can sniff out piracy
rasyadi writes: "A few days ago slashdot published article on Dogs Trained to Sniff Out Piracy. Today, Malaysian newspaper reported two specially trained sniffer dogs, used their nose to make the biggest pirated optical discs bust of the year. Quoted from New Straits Times Online:
"Two dogs used their noses to make the biggest pirated optical discs bust of the year on their very first official assignment in Malaysia.
Lucky and Flo sniffed out RM10 million in fake optical discs at a shopping complex here yesterday.
The outing was a resounding endorsement of the decision to bring the Labrador Retrievers here from Northern Ireland to put pirated optical disc operators out of business."
Full news can be found at Hot dogs bust pirates"
"Two dogs used their noses to make the biggest pirated optical discs bust of the year on their very first official assignment in Malaysia.
Lucky and Flo sniffed out RM10 million in fake optical discs at a shopping complex here yesterday.
The outing was a resounding endorsement of the decision to bring the Labrador Retrievers here from Northern Ireland to put pirated optical disc operators out of business."
Full news can be found at Hot dogs bust pirates"
Submission + - Teacher Suspended After Pro-gay Article is Printed
An anonymous reader writes: A few months ago, after a student wrote an article for her school newspaper saying that people who are gay should be treated the same as everyone else, the journalism advisor was written up for insubordination. Now she has been placed on paid leave. People planned on attending the school board meeting, but once there, they were informed that they couldn't ask any questions about the situation to protect the teacher. Board president Rev. Stephen Terry said the board could not be swayed in any way before an appeal.
A reprint of the student's original "offending" story can be found on a local news website. The class at Woodlan has stopped publishing their newspaper entirely, and all other schools are having a new policy enforced on them by the school board that states that none of the newspapers are open forum, and that all issues must be approved by the school principal before going to print. One can only wonder whether or not the teacher will be fired in the end."He said his decision was based on state law, but when Jack Groch, the Indiana State Teachers representative for East Allen, asked what the statute was, he was told he was out of order."
Submission + - NASA Confirms Solar Storm near 2012
An anonymous reader writes: `This week researchers announced that a storm is coming — the most intense solar maximum in fifty years. The prediction comes from a team led by Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "The next sunspot cycle will be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one," she says. If correct, the years ahead could produce a burst of solar activity second only to the historic Solar Max of 1958.`
`Dikpati's forecast puts Solar Max at 2012. Hathaway believes it will arrive sooner, in 2010 or 2011.`
Anyone familiar with the Mayan Calendar? December 21, 2012 (13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan Calendar) Coincidence?
`Dikpati's forecast puts Solar Max at 2012. Hathaway believes it will arrive sooner, in 2010 or 2011.`
Anyone familiar with the Mayan Calendar? December 21, 2012 (13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan Calendar) Coincidence?
Submission + - Microsoft gives in to the EU
An anonymous reader writes: Redmond Developer News reports that Microsoft has given in to EU threats of further fines and opened up a whole host of protocols, including the Exchange protocol, under a licence.
http://reddevnews.com/news/devnews/article.aspx?ed itorialsid=192
It doesn't say what the licence will look like though.
http://reddevnews.com/news/devnews/article.aspx?e
It doesn't say what the licence will look like though.
Submission + - phpbb 2.0.* server goes down, comes back up 3.0
FF8Jake writes: "Quoted from phpbb.com:
"After a long time of downtime we are proud to say to be back online. Due to the events we decided to give our previous plans and work a good push and put the new website up instead of reviving the old one. Within this step we also updated the main forums to phpBB3 Olympus as well as using the new phpBB default style, named prosilver."
Looks seckseh. ^_^"
"After a long time of downtime we are proud to say to be back online. Due to the events we decided to give our previous plans and work a good push and put the new website up instead of reviving the old one. Within this step we also updated the main forums to phpBB3 Olympus as well as using the new phpBB default style, named prosilver."
Looks seckseh. ^_^"
