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Music

Submission + - Day of Silence on the Internet (damontimm.com)

thornomad writes: "Time to pick up the phone (or usb headset) and call a representative or two: pandora.com (and other internet radio sites) has gone silent for the day to protest the impending legistlation that will effect internet radio:

Hi, it's Tim from Pandora, I'm sorry to say that today Pandora, along with most Internet radio sites, is going off the air in observance of a Day Of Silence. We are doing this to bring to your attention a disastrous turn of events that threatens the existence of Pandora and all of internet radio. We need your help. Ignoring all rationality and responding only to the lobbying of the RIAA, an arbitration committee in Washington DC has drastically increased the licensing fees Internet radio sites must pay to stream songs. Pandora's fees will triple, and are retroactive for eighteen months! Left unchanged by Congress, every day will be like today as internet radio sites start shutting down and the music dies. A bill called the "Internet Radio Equality Act" has already been introduced in both the Senate (S. 1353) and House of Representatives (H.R. 2060) to fix the problem and save Internet radio — and Pandora — from obliteration. I'd like to ask you to call your Congressional representatives today and ask them to become co-sponsors of the bill. It will only take a few minutes and you can find your Congresspersons and their phone numbers by entering your zip code here. Your opinion matters to your representatives — so please take just a minute to call. Visit www.savenetradio.org to continue following the fight to Save Internet Radio. As always, and now more than ever, thank you for your support.
"

Databases

Submission + - 8 reasons not to use MySQL (and 5 to adopt it)

Esther Schindler writes: "Database decisions are never easy, even — or maybe especially — when one choice is extremely popular. To highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the open-source MySQL DBMS, CIO.com asked two open-source experts to enumerate the reasons to choose MySQL and to pick something else. Tina Gasperson takes the 5 reasons to use MySQL side, and Brent Toderash discusses 8 reasons not to. Note that this isn't an "open source vs proprietary databases" comparison; it's about MySQL's suitability in enterprise situations."
Sony

Submission + - Sony Debuts Razor-Thin Flexible Display

Mike writes: "Sony Corporation just posted video of their new 2.5 inch display on its' web page. The display is flexible, full color, and apparently inexpensive to make. This could be used in hundreds of cool new products, as well as enhancing thousands of existing products. In fact, it's hard to see where this kind of display wouldn't be used, especially in portable consumer electronics."
Intel

Submission + - How Classsmate PC stacks up against OLPC

lisah writes: "While the One Laptop Per Child project pulled itself together and shipped its first Beta machines, Intel was busy developing its own version, the Classmate PC. Inevitable comparisons will be made between the two (especially since OLPC's chairman Nicholas Negroponte called Intel's move "predatory"), so Linux.com's Tina Gasperson and her kids took a Classmate PC for a test run to see how it does in the real world. The upshot? Good battery life, easy to use, and great with ketchup."
Quickies

Submission + - Most stupid technical feature?

kooky45 writes: In an effort to make our lives easier and more entertaining, technology designers pack more and more features into electronic devices, but often they're more nuisance than they're worth. An earlier /. article on LEDs discussed some of these. Another example is my Nokia 6320i mobile phone which has a back lit screen that drains the battery life at an alarming rate. When the phone is not in use the back light is off... until the battery starts to run low. Then it gives me regular warnings by beeping and turning the back light on!!!! Has anyone seen greater examples of designer stupidity?
Toys

Submission + - Digital Picture Frame?

The Cisco Kid writes: Ok here's the deal. My mom, bless her soul, doesnt quite get the concept of digital photography. She always complains that we never print them out for her, and gets completely flustered at the idea of looking at them on a computer.

So I'm thinking of getting a digital photo frame for her. Great idea, right? Only I cant seem to find one that fits the bill. Yes, I am aware of the possibility of building one, and may end up going that way (most likely using a laptop) But I'm really hoping I can find a consumer one that meets my needs. And thats where it gets tricky.

I'd like to be able to hang it on the wall, and leave it there, so I want to be able to update/add pictures to it over either a wireless or wired network. I've found a very few that have networking capabilty, but I can't seem to find any documentation as to what application-layer protocol they use. Theres one that only connects to the manufacturer's website over the Net, to which you must subscribe — no option to directly network. Kodak seems to only support using their proprietary Windows-only software for controlling or updating their frames (I dont use Windows. Ever. For anything)

So, is anyone aware of anyone that makes a reasonably priced digital frame that has networking and uses open protocols? Or should I expect to be taking apart the display hinge of a used laptop in the near future?
Software

Submission + - Improving GPS Systems with Traffic Flow Data

An anonymous reader writes: According to this story in Technology Review, some GPS companies are factoring in traffic flow and time of day. From the article: "Tele Atlas, a Boston-based company that provides digital maps and navigational content, has integrated new trafficking software into its map database so that drivers can find the most optimal route based on speed rather than distance — for any stretch of road at any hour of any day of the week."
Security

A Myspace Lockdown - Is It Possible? 180

Raxxon asks: "We (my business partner and I) were asked by a local company to help 'tighten up' their security. After looking at a few things we ran some options by the owner and he asked that we attempt to block access to MySpace. He cited reasons of wasted work time as well as some of the nightmare stories about spyware/viruses/etc. Work began and the more I dig into the subject the worse things look. You can block the 19 or 20 Class C Address Blocks that MySpace has, but then you get into problems of sites like "MySpace Bypass" and other such sites that allow you to bypass most of the filtering that's done. Other than becoming rather invasive (like installing Squid with customized screening setups) is there a way to effectively block MySpace from being accessed at a business? What about at home for those who would like to keep their kids off of it? If a dedicated web cache/proxy system is needed how do you prevent things like SSL enabled Proxy sites (denying MySpace but allowing any potentially 'legal' aspects)? In the end is it worth it compared to just adopting an Acceptable Use Policy that states that going to MySpace can lead to eventual dismissal from your job?"
Hardware Hacking

Do-It-Yourself Steampunk Keyboard 159

An anonymous reader writes "Who said there's no use for your old IBM "M Series" keyboards anymore? This creative fellow shows us step by step how to convert the keyboards of yesteryear into keyboards of an even further distant, fictional time. H. G. Wells would be proud."

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