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The Internet

Submission + - File Sharing and the Free Public Library 3

Submitted by Hodejo1
Hodejo1 writes: Do you know what the single greatest source of free content is? Why your local library where you can not only indulge in all the books, films, music, magazines and video games you wish for free, it is all legal under fair use laws. MP3 Newswire writes "If a grass-roots constituency decides to build a local library all they need to do is raise money, acquire a collection of donated and purchased material and organize it all within a structure that can effectively distribute its content to the populace. The founders do not need to get special government permission or sign a licensing arrangement with content creators. They just need to build it — in the physical world. And that brings us to the online world. If a physical community is allowed to freely build a library that is protected by convention, why should an online community be treated any different?" The BicyclePirate adds "I can go to the library, check out a book, read it, return it, and never have to pay a penny. I can do the same with a compact disc, a vinyl record or cassette (for those libraries that still have them), or a DVD or VHS. Nothing stops a person from copying any of these works, yet a campaign to shut down libraries to protect copyright laws would be unthinkable as many have come to depend on library access or consider it a right." Both commentaries throw out the idea that user activities on the file sharing networks, YouTube and other "havens of piracy" may be nothing more than an unconscious replication of the free public library online. Does that mean we should extend fair use to cover them? Of course, there are plenty of differences between the online and offline worlds so if you think this is a stretch you are not alone. The analogy is still interesting, mostly because libraries have proved over the centuries that offering free and open access to content does not destroy that content's viability in the marketplace. But then again we have never had a distribution mechanism as efficient as the Internet before.
Software

Submission + - Opportunist websites charging for my Freeware! (johnvalentine.co.uk) 4

Submitted by
MessyBlob
MessyBlob writes: "I'm the author of a Freeware game (Zenith), which I provide for free on my website and two other mirrors. I now find that an unassociated opportunist website (10001 downloads) is charging for the download (the user asks for a download-unlocking password via text message at £1.50 UKP). I feel it is unfair for third parties to profit from my intellectual property and development efforts, and I have not issued a licence for the website to charge for delivering my software. How can I prevent this happening to my software, and others?"

Recession Pushes IT To Find New Value In Old Gear 206

Posted by CmdrTaco from the bad-eweek-no-interstitials dept.
buzzardsbay writes "Trying to put a bright spin on a gloomy subject, the folks at eWEEK unearth an emerging trend: There's a booming cottage industry of dealers in refurbished computer and networking gear serving folks on the hunt for 'slightly used' and 'new to you' equipment. The dealers selling the stuff tell eWEEK the equipment is practically new, most of it less than a year old, and that the prices for things like servers and routers are lower than they have been since the post dot-com / Sept. 11 days in 2001. Used gear isn't for everybody, obviously. The story points out that while many of these used IT dealers offer configuration services, they don't do installs, and most are not authorized resellers. They do, however, offer decent warranties, so if you can do some of the work yourself, you'll probably be OK."
Graphics

Khronos Releases OpenCL Spec 115

Posted by kdawson from the fast-work dept.
kpesler writes "Today, the Khronos Group released the OpenCL API specification (which we discussed earlier this year). It provides an open API for executing general-purpose code kernels on GPUs — so-called GPGPU functionality. Initially bolstered by Apple, the API garnered the support of major players including NVIDIA, AMD/ATI, and Intel. Motivated by inclusion in OS X Snow Leopard, the spec was completed in record time — about half a year from the formation of the group to the ratified spec."

Comment Brilliant idea! (Score 1) 2

by iSzabo (#25950387) Attached to: City Fights Drunken Violence With Bubbles
Why waste money having X number of officers tied up handling drunk people when one guy can spend a few seconds and hand them a bubble blower. I think this is s step in the right direction not for law enforcement but for keeping peace. The job of the police isn't to nab bad guys, it's to keep society a nice place to live. Also: I'd love a bubble blower when I'm drunk (although admittedly I don't think I'm rowdy enough to earn one).

Comment Like the post office (Score 1) 502

by iSzabo (#25947627) Attached to: FCC Considering Free Internet For USA
It's an interesting idea if you attempt to equate the internet's email to classic dude-with-a-sack mail. The national postal service has roots in government funding - the infrastructure is maintained by the government (i.e. everyone) and incidental costs (like mailing a letter) is payed for with stamps. The interesting thing about the internet is that if it were made free in this way: the infrastructure would be maintained by the government and the incidental cost of mailing an email would be payed for by you buying something after reading some ad that is supplied by Google, Yahoo, etc. Really it's similar to the post office with the difference that the government only has to worry about the actual infrastructure.
Image

OMG — a Keyboard For Blondes Screenshot-sm 11

Posted by samzenpus from the this-looks-hard dept.
MojoKid writes "The keyboard as we know it just got a makeover. What started initially as a gag apparently got so much positive feedback that the creators of the Keyboard for Blondes decided to turn it into a real product. The Keyboard for Blondes is a real keyboard. It has all the normal functionality you would expect from a traditional keyboard. It has 103 keys, is USB based, and works with both Windows PCs and Macs. As to why it is pink, the Keyboard for Blondes Website explains, 'Pink is the new black!' And being a blonde is not necessarily as prerequisite for owning one either, as the site further offers, 'this keyboard is for anyone who has ever had a blonde moment or ... two, has a good sense of humor and likes to have fun! Afterall [sic] being blonde is not just your hair color.'"
Spam

Washington Post Blog Shuts Down 75% of Online Spam 335

Posted by CmdrTaco from the real-american-hero dept.
ESCquire writes "Apparently, the Washington Post Blog 'Security Fix' managed to shut down McColo, a US-based hosting provider facilitating more than 75 percent of global spam. " Now how long before the void is filled by another ISP?
Patents

Halliburton Applies For Patent-Trolling Patent 244

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the meta-evil dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Halliburton, the company many folks know as Dick Cheney's previous employer, has apparently taken an interest in methods of patent trolling. In fact, according to Techdirt, the company has applied for a patent on patent trolling. Specifically, it's applied for a patent on the process of finding a company that protected an invention via trade secret, figuring out what that secret is, patenting it ... and then suing the original company. Hopefully, the patent office rejects this patent, because I somehow doubt that Halliburton is trying to get the patent as a way to block others from patent trolling."

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