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Technology (Apple)

Submission + - Apple design flaw proven

Submitted by
empaler
empaler writes: "Apple has long denied service on iBook G4s with faulty designs, denying that there was an error — but now, the Danish National Consumer Agency (press release) has released a report proving that the error is due to a design flaw. So far, the only news site picking this up is The Register, unless you understand Danish (1, 2, 3). The Danish Consumer Complaints Board is also implying that Apple needs to get a grip and acknowledge this error in the rest of the world.
The NCA also has some photos from the report (explanations in Danish, but easily transparent from context)."
Sci-Fi

Submission + - Douglas Adams Didn't Like Hitchhiker's Radio Shows

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "As Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams teetered on the brink of fame and fortune, his perfectionism would not let him relax. In a startling unpublished interview dating back to 1979, Adams admitted he couldn't enjoy listening to most of the six-part BBC Radio series that launched the Hitchhiker's phenomenon.

Press release here:

http://www.darkermatter.com/issue3/press.php

Interview here:

http://www.darkermatter.com/issue3/douglas_adams.p hp"
Software

Submission + - Asked to install Pirated Software, what do you do?

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: I am an IT professional, and due to budget constraints, I have been told to install multiple copies of MS Office, despite offering to install OpenOffice, and other OpenSource Office products. Even though most of the uses are for people using Excel like a database, or formatting of text in cells, other programs are not tolerated. I have been over ruled by our controller, to my disagreement. Other than drafting a letter to the owners of the company on how I disagree with the policy, what else can I do? I would never turn them in, but I am in tough place by knowing doing something illegal. I want to keep my job, but disagree with some of the decision making on this issue.
The Internet

Submission + - 12 Laws Every Blogger Needs to Know

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2007/05/ 12_important_us.html

12 Laws Every Blogger Needs to Know: (1) Whether to Disclose Paid Posts; (2) Is Deep Linking Legal; (3) The Legal Use of Images and Thumbnails; (4) Laws that Protect You From Stolen Content; (5) Domain Name Trademark Issues; (6) Handling Private Data About Your Readers; (7) Who Owns User-Developed Content and Can You Delete It; (8) The Duty to Monitor Your Blog Comments, and Liability; (9) Basic Tax Law Issues in Blogging; (10) Limited Liability Laws and Incorporating; (11) Spam Laws and Which Unsolicited Emails are Legal; and (12) Are Bloggers Protected from Journalism Shield Laws"
Education

Submission + - Compact Fluorescent Lights Deadly-- Not.

Submitted by
Dilaceratus
Dilaceratus writes: "It seems like, after linking to that Steve Milloy piece yesterday claiming that it could cost $2000 to clean up a broken Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb, you owe it to your readers to tell them that Milloy's claim is not only wrong, it's grossly intellectually dishonest.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/05/compact _fluorescent_lights_are.php#more

"One indicator of Milloy's trustworthiness on this issue is that he cites a newspaper, the Ellsworth American, as the source of his story about the $2000 cleanup bill, but neglects to mention that the article goes on at considerable length about how that was excessive and unnecessary, and discusses the official recommendations of the EPA and the Department of Environmental Protection, which are quite calm.

"I guess hysteria sells better among the global warming denialists.""
The Internet

Submission + - Don't bet on repeal of 'Net gambling prohibition

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes: "U.S. Rep. Barney Frank filed legislation last week that would repeal the nonsensical, hypocritical prohibition against online gambling. Most Americans would want this bill passed, yet it has no chance thanks to the anti-online-gambling cartel of moralistic conservatives, paternalistic liberals and old-time gambling interests intent on squashing competition.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/1472 0"
Media

Submission + - Help Save Net Radio

Submitted by shdowhawk
shdowhawk writes: On March 2, 2007 the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) set in action a bill which increased Internet radio's royalty burden between 300 and 1200 percent and thereby jeopardized the industry's future. There is an online movement currently set up to help protest this bill. http://www.savenetradio.org/ was established to shed light on the situation, to help the protest to save internet radio, and to promote all the bills that have been set up to try and overturn the March 2 action bill.
Security

Submission + - Partial Hack for Short Key Quantum Cryptography

Submitted by sarkeizen
sarkeizen writes: According to nature.com a team of researchers has, for the first time, hacked into a network protected by quantum encryption. . The MIT group was able to entangle a photons polarization with its momentum. Which allowed them to get up to 40% of the information by measuring the particles momentum without significantly disturbing it's polarization. The researchers agreed that this kind of attack, although interested could be rendered useless by increasing the key length.
Security

Submission + - 2012 Olympics security to be chosen by sponsorship

Submitted by denebian devil
denebian devil writes: In an Editorial/Blog at ITPRO, Davey Winder writes of a keynote speech at Infosecurity Europe by Member of Parliament Derek Wyatt. In this speech, which was about the IT security demands of running the 2012 London Olympics, Derek Wyatt MP dropped the bombshell that IT Security at the Olympics will hinge not on which companies show themselves to be the best in their field or to have the technology that best meets the needs of the Olympics, but rather on whether or not the companies were a 'major sponsor' of the Olympics. So who has bought their way into being the security experts of choice, and with whom our security and that of the visiting millions will rest? Visa.
Patents

Submission + - SCOTUS gets it right.

Submitted by conlaw
conlaw writes: As reported in this morning's Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti cle/2007/04/30/AR2007043001668.html?hpid=topnews),
the Supreme Court may be as fed up with recent patent decisions as most /.'ers are.

From the article:

The Supreme Court concluded a series of cases yesterday that weaken the protection given to patent holders, making it more difficult to get a patent and easier to challenge existing ones. ...

"Granting patent protection to advances that would occur in the ordinary course without real innovation retards progress and may, in the case of patents combining previously known elements, deprive prior inventions of their value or utility," Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for a unanimous court.
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - Japanese Game Translator Interview

Submitted by
A. Yin
A. Yin writes: "There's an interesting article up on Square-Enix fansite Square Haven interviewing translator Alexander O. Smith on the often-overlooked but pretty vital process of game localization. This is the guy who did the English versions of games like Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, all well regarded for the quality of translation. More people like this should get interviewed, seeing as how they're the filter through which all those great games from Japan reach us English speakers."
Music

Submission + - Calls to Close "Copyright Gap", 50 Years T

Submitted by YouTalkinToMe
YouTalkinToMe writes: The BBC is reporting that Widows and Orphans (ok, just Widows) are calling to increase the term of Copyright in Britain.

From the story: "The widow of skiffle king Lonnie Donegan has warned that the families of dead music stars could face financial hardship when royalty payments end." Mrs. Donegan continued: "It's not even as though they made us rich. People say I must be a millionaire, but, no. The royalties were just enough to get by."

Mrs. Donegan is joined by Sir Cliff and others who will lose Copyright protection on their performances in the near future. Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL), the UK broadcast royalties collection society, calls the situation "the Copyright Gap", and is lobbying for "harmonization" with songwriters and photographers, meaning Copyright terms of life plus 70 years.

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