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Security

Submission + - Verizon gave up its subscribers' information (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by
87C751
87C751 writes: "According to this article in the Washington Post (warning: subscription link), Verizon has given up subscriber information "hundreds of times" since 2005 without a court order. The company says it "does not determine the requests' legality or necessity because to do so would slow efforts to save lives in criminal investigations." AT&T apparently made similar disclosures, though the numbers weren't disclosed."
Communications

Submission + - RIAA Launches Attack on Usenet (torrentfreak.com) 1

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "The major record labels have launched a copyright infringement lawsuit against Usenet.com. The complaint filed in the federal District Court in New York accuses Usenet.com of providing access to millions of copyright infringing files and slams it for touting its service as a "haven for those seeking pirated content" Usenet.com has been putting up a fight against the RIAA, refusing to block access to alleged 'copyright infringing groups' Game On"
Music

Submission + - Record Industry Woes Aggravated by Years of Bad PR

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: MP3 Newswire has a lengthy, but compelling article that details how the major record label's attempt to control music online with an iron fist has only to weakened their position by alienating consumers. Rather than work to leverage the opportunities brought by new technology, they called everything that could change their business piracy. Not only were the opportunities lost, it made them look like past-generation bullies to unhappy customers looking for innovative digital products. "Today the major record labels don't have a positive brand image and the very public actions they have taken to control the rise of digital media and the Internet over the last several years is at the very heart of their fall from grace. To some the big labels are an anachronism. To others they are anti-consumer. The erosion of their image is dramatic".
Biotech

Submission + - Brain-computer-interface for Second Life (pinktentacle.com)

Submitted by
Tjeerd
Tjeerd writes: ""A research team led by professor Jun'ichi Ushiba of the Keio University Biomedical Engineering Laboratory has developed a BCI system that lets the user walk an avatar through the streets of Second Life while relying solely on the power of thought. To control the avatar on screen, the user simply thinks about moving various body parts — the avatar walks forward when the user thinks about moving his/her own feet, and it turns right and left when the user imagines moving his/her right and left arms.""
Media

Submission + - Nine inch Nails ditch label

Submitted by
smash
smash writes: "After much public comment on the record industry in general and and his label in particular, barely a week after Radiohead, Trent Reznor has ditched his label and will focus on sales via the net. Read the scoop here. Is this the beginning of the end for the RIAA?"
Education

Submission + - iPods Required Listening in Some Schools 1

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "Long a staple of affluent schools like Duke, iPods are finding their way into the classrooms of one of New Jersey's poorest urban school districts. At José Martí Middle School, iPods are being used to help bilingual students with limited English ability sharpen their vocabulary and grammar by singing along to popular songs. Spanish-speaking students have been able to move out of bilingual classes after just a year of using the digital devices, compared with an average of 4-6 years for most bilingual students. 'It's an innovation,' declared a school board spokesman. 'Most people think of the iPod as just entertainment.' Toys 1, Blackboards 0!"
Patents

Submission + - Court Limits Software Patents

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Techdirt has the scoop on how a recent court ruling may severely limit the scope of both software and business model patents. The court found that "The routine addition of modern electronics to an otherwise unpatentable invention" isn't enough to get over the "non-obvious" hurdle that every patent is supposed to clear. This is a huge step in the right direction and one of the first admissions from the court system that perhaps software and business model patents have gone too far.
The Courts

Journal SPAM: Judge Voids California Election Over E-Voting Flaws 177

Journal by Jeremiah Cornelius

A judge in Alameda County, California, has voided some election results after the e-voting tallies from Diebold machines couldn't be audited. The vote was on a controversial ballot measure addressing the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries, and the expected result was a close margin. Activists went to court to demand a recount, but elections officials had
Toys

Submission + - Linux on the handle bars (bikeradar.com)

Submitted by
xpqz
xpqz writes: "Quarq introduces a linux-based bike computer! BikeRadar.com reports: One of the most intriguing launches at Interbike was a pairing of power measuring crank spider and power meter/global positioning system (GPS)/heart rate monitor/altimeter computer from new company Quarq Technology. What's especially interesting if you're a hardcore bike instrumentation geek is that the display unit will run open-source software, so developers will be able to modify it and write applications for it. http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/interbike-quarq-power-meter-real-bike-computer-12672"
Security

Submission + - Qwest to notify victims of hacked computers. (startribune.com)

Submitted by
mnslinky
mnslinky writes: "From the article:
"Telephone company Qwest Communications, portraying itself as a "safe" way to access the Internet, has introduced a "Customer Internet Protection Program" that protects both Qwest and its customers.

By monitoring outgoing Internet traffic from subscribers to its DSL broadband service, Denver-based Qwest can identify individual computers that are spreading computer viruses or unwanted spam e-mail, said Melodi Gates, the company's chief information security officer.

[...] So, when malicious activity is traceable to a particular PC, the customer is contacted via a message that appears in a Web browser, urging the customer to download free software tools to cleanse the computer. If the user acknowledges the message, it disappears."

This was pointed out by a co-worker of mine, and he had an interesting point. "The only problem with this is that said users are trained to ignore [popups asking users to update/fix their computers]." Be interesting to see how well this works."
Wii

Submission + - Nintendo offers free Wii Jackets (nintendo.com)

Submitted by ApolloX
ApolloX writes: Nintendo, apparently aware of the damage caused by Wii Remotes, has begun proactively offering Wii Jackets now included in new Wii consoles and Wii remote packages. Furthermore, owners of existing Wii systems can sign up for free Wii Jackets on Nintendo's website similar to the way people have been able to order replacement Wii straps in the past.

Its good deal, except for anyone who all ready spent $5-10 per remote for 3rd party covers.

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And it should be the law: If you use the word `paradigm' without knowing what the dictionary says it means, you go to jail. No exceptions. -- David Jones

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