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+ - Self-cleaning technology from Mars can keep terres->

Submitted by jerryjamesstone
jerryjamesstone writes "Find dusting those tables and dressers a chore or a bore? Dread washing the windows? Imagine keeping dust and grime off objects spread out over an area of 25 to 50 football fields. That's the problem facing companies that deploy large-scale solar power installations, and scientists have now presented the development of one solution — self-dusting solar panels based on technology developed for space missions to Mars."
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News

+ - 9th Circuit Rules Copyright Preempts Right of Publ-> 1

Submitted by David Weiskopf
David Weiskopf writes "This past week, in Jules Jordan Video vs. 144942 Canada (August 16, 2010), in which Plaintiff (an adult film star) sued Defendant for its pirating and redistributing of plaintiff's films, the Ninth Circuit held, in what I consider to be a very troubling ruling, that the Plaintiff's (California-based) right of publicity claim was preempted by his available claims for copyright infringement under federal copyright law. Specifically, in reversing the lower District Court and vacating the judgment in favor of plaintiff, the Court's three judge panel (which included Judge Kozinski, who, you might remember, famously dissented from the Ninth Circuit's Order rejecting the suggestion of an en banc hearing in Wendt vs. Host International, Inc., based in part on his argument that the Ninth Circuit should have found that that the right of publicity claim at issue was preempted by the the actors' federal copyright claims) held that "[Plaintiff's] right of publicity claim falls within the subject matter of copyright, and that the rights he asserts are equivalent to the rights within the scope of Section 106 of the Copyright Act. The essence of [Plaintiff's] claim is that [Defendants] reproduced and distributed the DVDs without authorization. [Plaintiff's] claim is under the Copyright Act." The Court's primary reasoning appears based on the facts of the case, where the Court makes clear that Defendant's infringing acts were comprised solely of reproducing and distributing pirated DVDs; Defendant did not otherwise use Plaintiff's name or likeness in promoting the fake DVDs, but simply redistributed the illicitly made copies containing the original and otherwise properly authorized performance (likeness) of Plaintiff."
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Hardware

+ - Small Plug-in solar panels coming out in 2011

Submitted by KindMind
KindMind writes "Clarian Power, a Seattle startup, is promising "plug-in" solar panels at $600 to $800 installed per panel for homeowners and small businesses. A typical installation is three panels, at around $2400 installed. These generate about 200 watts a panel, so a three panel systems would be 800 watts A single panel would save 30 to 40 kilowatt hours per month, translating to around $50 a year in energy cost savings. The estimated payback for a setup like this is estimated at four years, with tax credits and rebates taken into account. This is a supplemental power system, for replacing outside utility power, not for selling back to the utility company. The target date to have these for sale is sometime in 2011."
Crime

+ - Feds Shut Down 200 Prescription Drug Websites-> 1

Submitted by eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes "CNN is reporting on 200 website pharmacies (in Utah and Illinois) under investigation for selling prescription drugs online without the user having a valid prescription. CNN's investigative reporting claims that Kyle Rootsaert, owner of two online pharmacies, is responsible for the shipping of more than 30,000 prescription drug packages across the United States in the first half of 2010. The White House's Office of National drug Control Policy made the statement that 'This is a pretty large ring of at least 200 websites that acted as internet pharmacies that were basically selling drugs — prescription drugs — without requiring a valid prescription. These affidavits indicate this was a multiyear, multimillion-dollar operation involving thousands and thousands of prescriptions. Going back in time, there were even deaths involved with this organization.' The majority of these prescriptions were "authorized" by Dr. William E. Morrow of Layton, Utah."
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Cellphones

+ - National Park Service Says Tech Enabling Stupidity 2

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes "The National Park Service is finding technology to be a double-edged sword. While new technologies can and do save lives, the NPS is also finding that unseasoned hikers and campers are now boldly going where they never would have gone before, counting on cellphones, GPS, and SPOT devices to bail them out if they get into trouble. Last fall, a group of hikers in the Grand Canyon called in rescue helicopters three times by pressing the emergency button on their satellite location device. When rangers arrived the second time, the hikers complained that their water supply tasted salty. 'Because of having that electronic device, people have an expectation that they can do something stupid and be rescued,' said a spokeswoman for Grand Teton National Park. 'Every once in a while we get a call from someone who has gone to the top of a peak, the weather has turned and they are confused about how to get down and they want someone to personally escort them. The answer is that you are up there for the night.'"

Comment: Re:Wow, (Score 0) 1079

by Draped Crusader (#30412486) Attached to: Sci-Fi Author Peter Watts Beaten, Charged During Border Crossing

By making headlines, even on geek news sites, he gets his name out and makes that many more people more aware of his presence on the book stand.

This guy's books are free on his website, not commercially available on book stands. I don't see what he could gain, exactly, other than people seeing his side of the story.

Comment: Re:Configurable (Score 0) 404

by Draped Crusader (#29737033) Attached to: Should Computer Games Adapt To the Way You Play?

Also, the teamwork aspect is something that you just can't have with computer AI. I can't foresee any computer AI responding to voice chat, like "Can anyone buy me a weapon? Please?".

Actually, in Unreal Tournament 2004(maybe 2003 as well?) if you had a mic and voice recognition set up on your computer you could command teammate bots to give you their guns, hold a point, attack/defend/freelance, among other things.

White dwarf seeks red giant for binary relationship.

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