netbuzz - Slashdot User

EFF launching 'Patent Fail' campaign-> 0

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netbuzz

on Wednesday February 15, @05:23PM

netbuzz writes "The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has long been at the forefront of fighting software patent abuse with its Patent Busting Project, is launching a new initiative called “Patent Fail: In Defense of Innovation.” EFF staff attorney Julie Samuels tells Network World: “The project has three components: educating individuals about the problems with the current patent system, providing individuals with resources to deal with patent issues, and then exploring what the system should be in the long-term.”"
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Ex-Sun CEO Schwartz starts medical-records company-> 0

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netbuzz

on Wednesday February 15, @09:16AM

netbuzz writes "Former Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, who left that company two years ago, today launched a startup dedicated to helping families post online and share only under strict privacy controls the important medical records of their loved ones. Called CareZone, the service will charge customers $5 a month or $48 a year. Scwartz says it is that revenue model that will allow CareZone to deliver on its privacy promises: “To be clear, CareZone is a business predicated upon privacy: we are funded by families, not by advertisers, which means you won’t see ads, and you’ll always know our highest priority is to protect your information, not sell it. Unlike a social media site, you’re not our product, you’re our customer.”"
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CmdrTaco, wife revisit famous Slashdot marriage proposal-> 1

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netbuzz

on Tuesday February 14, @04:42AM

netbuzz writes "Ten years ago today, at 9:25 a.m., Slashdot founder Rob “CmdrTaco” Malda, used his insider access to the homepage of this forum to send a very public Valentine’s Day marriage proposal to Kathleen Fent. Fifteen minutes later she said yes — and then called him a dork — an exchange that would generate more than 2,000 comments here and make news on other tech sites. As the 10th anniversary of the proposal approached, Network World asked the couple to share their memories of that day and thoughts about it since, as a kind of case study on how this type of public proposal – be it on Slashdot or the stadium Jumbotron – holds up over the years. Would they recommend it? Seems there is disagreement on that score."
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Wikipedia hasn't forgiven GoDaddy-> 0

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netbuzz

on Friday February 10, @06:06AM

netbuzz writes "The fact that a month and a half has gone by and Wikipedia still hasn’t followed through on Jimmy Wales public threat to remove its domain name registrations from GoDaddy over the latter’s early support of SOPA has some concerned that the online encyclopedia may have had a change of heart. After all, GoDaddy did withdraw its backing of the controversial antipiracy legislation, at least publicly. But fear not, SOPA foes, as Wikipedia says its days with GoDaddy are indeed numbered and that number is getting very small."
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World IPv6 Launch event set for June-> 0

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netbuzz

on Tuesday January 17, @01:06PM

netbuzz writes "AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner Cable are among seven global ISPs that have committed to the Internet Society’s World IPv6 Launch, set for June6, along with the likes of Facebook, Google and Yahoo. The ISPs participating in World IPv6 Launch have agreed to enable IPv6 for enough users by that date so that at least 1% of their wireline residential subscribers will use IPv6 to visit IPv6-enabled Web sites. ``The fact that leading companies across several industries are making significant commitments to participate is yet another indication that IPv6 is no longer a lab experiment; it’s here and is an important next step in the Internet’s evolution,’’ says Leslie Daigle, the Internet Society’s Chief Information Technology Officer."
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3 positive developments for SOPA foes-> 0

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netbuzz

on Saturday January 14, @12:08PM

netbuzz writes "Three new developments over the past 24 hours make clear that efforts to block or dramatically change SOPA are having an effect in Washington. First, the bill’s lead sponsor yesterday said he will remove its most controversial provision, which would require ISPs to block access to foreign websites that contain copyright-infringing content. A statement from the White House responding to an online petition appears far more sympathetic to the concerns of SOPA opponents than to the need to pass antipiracy legislation quickly, while offering strong support for protecting DNS and DNSSEC. Finally, word comes that Republican leadership has pledged to delay any House vote so lawmakers may “continue to work to address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus.” Rhetoric, yes, but it wasn’t long ago that this bill appeared fast-tracked for passage."
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Who's flying those drones? FAA won't say-> 0

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netbuzz

on Wednesday January 11, @11:54AM

netbuzz writes "The Electronic Frontier Foundation nine months ago filed a Freedom of Information Act request to prompt the FAA to release the names of government agencies and private entities that have received permission to fly unmanned aircraft over our heads. Nine months later, the FAA has neither released the information nor explained why it hasn’t. On Tuesday the EFF filed suit to force the agency to do so. Says EFF staff attorney Jennifer Lynch: "Drones give the government and other unmanned aircraft operators a powerful new surveillance tool to gather extensive and intrusive data on Americans' movements and activities. As the government begins to make policy decisions about the use of these aircraft, the public needs to know more about how and why these drones are being used to surveil United States citizens.""
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AT&T breakup deal reached 30 years ago-> 0

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netbuzz

on Monday January 09, @04:19PM

netbuzz writes "It was 30 years ago yesterday – Jan. 8, 1982 – that AT&T and the U.S. Department of Justice announced an historic antitrust agreement that would see AT&T divest itself of the seven Regional Bell Operating Companies, the so-called Baby Bells. Product of an 8-year legal fight, the breakup would take effect two years later. In 1983, AT&T CEO Charles Brown told Time Magazine: "Divestiture was not our idea and we think it is wrong from the standpoint of the country's interests." But the alternative seemed bleaker: "Time was not on our side. The Government's determination to restructure the Bell System would have gone on for years, draining our energy and preventing us from planning our own future.""
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Dem PAC buys newtgingrich.com-> 0

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netbuzz

on Wednesday December 21, @05:32PM

netbuzz writes "The purchase of newtgingrich.com by a Democratic Super PAC — and the use of it to highlight Newt Gingrich's political weaknesses — is either amusing or a dirty trick, depending on your politics and your view of the Republican presidential hopeful. In either case, however, it is a cautionary tale about the importance of controlling your brand online, a task that is about to get more difficult for everyone thanks to the impending expansion of generic top-level domains."
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'LAN-party house' sparks awe and envy-> 0

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netbuzz

on Tuesday December 13, @01:21PM

netbuzz writes "Google software engineer Kenton Varda showed off his new digs – a house “specifically designed to be ideal for PC gaming parties” – in a blog post over the weekend that has generated not only rhapsodic accolades but also catcalls contending that it’s nothing any gamer couldn’t do provided they were rolling in Google dough. That undercurrent got so loud that Varda felt compelled to deny that he’s “super-rich” and contend that even a gamer of lesser means can afford a LAN-party house if only they’re willing to pay the price in terms of time and effort."
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