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The Matrix

Journal SPAM: The Matrix is a system, Neo. 1

Journal by Jeremiah Cornelius

"That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it."
Censorship

Submission + - China Blocks iTunes Over Tibet Album? (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "iTunes customers who live in China have been blocked from accessing the online music store, say reports posted on Apple's Web site. Although some Chinese customers have speculated that authorities have barred the site because it recently started selling "Songs for Tibet," a compilation featuring musicians such as Sting and Alanis Morissette, an Apple spokesman in the U.S. declined to comment. A company spokeswoman in Beijing, however, told Reuters that the company was aware of the problem but did not provide any additional information. "ITunes is not being blocked in China from our end," one Apple tech support representative replied to a comment about blocked access, "but access to the iTunes Store IS restricted in some areas in China.""
Media (Apple)

Submission + - Apple Sued Over iPhone Bricking

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The week's debate over the iPhone 1.1.1 has finally resulted in legal action. InfoWeek reports that on Friday, California resident Timothy Smith sued Apple in a class-action case in Santa Clara County Superior court. The suit was filed by Damian Fernandez, the lawyer who's been soliciting plaintiffs all week for a case against Apple. The suit doesn't ask for a specific dollar amount, but seeks an injunction against Apple, which prevents it from sell the iPhone with any software lock. It also asks that Apple be enjoined from denying warranty service to users of unlocked iPhone, and from requiring iPhone users to get their phone service through AT&T.
The Courts

Submission + - New Attorneys Fee Decision Against RIAA 1

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "The RIAA has gotten slammed again, this time in Oregon, as the Magistrate Judge in Atlantic v. Andersen has ruled that Tanya Andersen's motion for attorneys fees should be granted. The Magistrate, in his 15-page decision, noted that, despite extensive pretrial discovery proceedings, "when plaintiffs dismissed their claims in June 2007, they apparently had no more material evidence to support their claims than they did when they first contacted defendant in February 2005....." and concluded that "Copyright holders generally, and these plaintiffs specifically, should be deterred from prosecuting infringement claims as plaintiffs did in this case." This is the same case in which (a) the RIAA insisted on interrogating Ms. Andersen's 10-year-old girl at a face-to-face deposition, (b) the defendant filed RICO counterclaims against the record companies, and (c) the defendant has recently converted her RICO case into a class action"
Networking (Apple)

Submission + - Apple's options for nixing open source iPhone use

Submitted by BobB
BobB writes: Although Apple's Steve Jobs has declared war on iPhone hackers, no one knows for certain how he plans to stop them. One of the options open to Apple is to file lawsuits against hackers under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which was passed in 1998 to ban the use of any devices that can be used to circumvent digital rights management systems. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/092007-apple-stop-open-source-iphone.html
Media (Apple)

Submission + - Steve Jobs subpoenaed over backdating scandal

Submitted by Stony Stevenson
Stony Stevenson writes: The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly subpoenaed Apple chief executive Steve Jobs in its suit over alleged back-dating of stock options.

Newsagency Bloomberg cited sources "familiar with the matter" as saying that the executive had been called to give a deposition in the commission's suit against Nancy Heinen, Apple's former general council. The report notes that Jobs is not the target of an investigation, and that the subpoena is only related to the case against Heinen.
Power

Submission + - Arctic seabed 'belongs to Russia' (Honest) (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by
Ajehals
Ajehals writes: "According to the BBC a "Russian mini-submarine The Mir-I was used to help plant a Russian flag on the Arctic seabed A Russian expedition has proved that a ridge of mountains below the Arctic Ocean is part of Russia's continental shelf, government officials have said. ".

So it looks like Russia is upping the ante with regard to ownership of the potentially natural resource rich Arctic with its work on the Lomonosov Ridge (It sounds Russian, it must be true!), in addition to this mission the Kremlin also announced that four strategic bombers were going to be making flights over the Arctic and the Atlantic Ocean.

With Russia working with its neighbours over the transportation of oil and gas, and its already massive involvement in the European energy market, as well as a renewed involvement on the international stage, and its resumption of other strategic military activities this could be a sign that Russia is finding its way out of its recent troubled past.

Additionally, for those interested Wikipedia has an article about the Mir-I"
Digital

Submission + - Study says DRM violates privacy law (idg.com.au)

Submitted by
inkslinger77
inkslinger77 writes: "Digital rights management (DRM) technology used in MP3s, DVDs, and most consumer software may be violating Canadian privacy laws, according to a new report. The report investigated DRM systems used in 16 different digital products and services including Apple's iTunes Music Store, Microsoft's Office Visio, and Symantec's North SystemWorks 2006. Fewer said the biggest concern stemming from this lack of disclosure came from the amount of third-party companies and marketers found linked with the DRM systems."
Censorship

Submission + - Taser used at political rally 1

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: During a political rally at the University of Florida, a student was tasered while attempting to ask Senator Kerry (D-MA) some questions regarding the 2004 election. Police are looking into whether excessive force was used to prevent the student from going over his alloted question period.
Republicans

Submission + - Liberal interpretation

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Slashdot recently reported on alleged brain differences between liberals and conservatives as described in Nature Neuroscience. An article in Slate challenges the study as not proving its claims. It concludes: 'Sometimes, [conservatives'] inclinations lead us astray. But over the long run, they've served us and society pretty well. It's just that you [liberals] notice all the times we were wrong and ignore all the times we were right. In fact, that's exactly what you've done in this study: You've manufactured a tiny world of letters, half-seconds, and button-pushing, so you can catch us in clear errors and keep out the part of life where our tendencies correct yours. And now you feel great about yourselves. Congratulations. You haven't told us much about our way of thinking. But you've told us a lot about yours.'
The Internet

Submission + - EU boss wants to censor the internet

Submitted by Stony Stevenson
Stony Stevenson writes: European Union Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini has called for ISPs to censor internet searches in an effort to stop terrorists gathering information.

Frattini said that freedom of information should take second place to denying terrorists access to bomb making instructions or other information that could be useful. "I intend to carry out a clear exploring exercise with the private sector on how it is possible to use technology to prevent people from using or searching dangerous words like 'bomb', 'kill', 'genocide' or 'terrorism'," he said.
Microsoft

Submission + - You let someone steal MY story! (blogspot.com) 1

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "You let someone steal my story on Microsoft issuing secret Windows Updates. I had the story first. Submitted it to Slashdot first. And the story you published didn't even make the same connection I made...that the secret Windows Update _CAUSED_ the WGA servers to go down: http://cubicspot.blogspot.com/2007/08/windows-update-updating-without.html http://cubicspot.blogspot.com/2007/08/most-coincidental-event.html (Not to mention I had submitted this story to you over TWO WEEKS AGO!)"
The Media

Submission + - TV Torrents: When 'piracy' is easier than purchase

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: NBC's recent withdraw from the iTunes store leaves the millions of Apple's customers who have Macs or iPods without a legitimate way to purchase and watch NBC's content. They join Linux users, and people outside western markets whose only method of watching The Daily Show is to turn to illegal downloads. Online media stores such as iTunes, Amazon and Walmart have never been able to compete with the pirates on price, or freedom and flexibility — as the content they sell is typically wrapped in restrictive DRM. The one advantage that legal purchase offered was ease of use. CNET looks into the issue, and discovers that with mature open-source media players such as Miro supporting BitTorrent RSS feeds, it is actually trivially easy for users to subscribe to their favorite shows. Want to wake up to the latest episode of The Colbert Report, Top Gear or any of hundreds of TV shows automatically downloaded and waiting for you? CNET offers an easy three step guide.
United States

Submission + - DashCam Catches Officer Threatening Motorist

Submitted by januth
januth writes: I just finished reading about this incident, in which a St. George, Missouri police officer was caught on a motorist's personal dashcam threatening to invent charges to arrest him even though the motorist had done nothing wrong.

"The incident began at around 2am. Darrow [the motorist] was to meet a friend who was working late and was going to pick him up. Darrow headed toward a 24-hour commuter parking lot in an unincorporated part of Saint Louis County in his 1997 Nissan Maxima. He put on his turn signal and entered the lot which, aside from Kuehnlein's cruiser, was essentially vacant. After stopping the car, the police officer approached and began questioning Darrow about what he was doing. When Darrow declined to discuss his personal business, the police sergeant exploded. Although the video clearly shows Darrow driving properly and using his turn signal, the police officer insisted that Darrow had broken the law."

Had Darrow not had his own video camera running it would have been his word against the police officer's. He has had another interesting run-in with the police that he captured on video as well. In both cases he's merely asking the questions any citizen should be able to ask of a police officer. In both cases, the police do not respond well.

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Our business in life is not to succeed but to continue to fail in high spirits. -- Robert Louis Stevenson

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