panza - Slashdot User

Store Your Own Juice 415

Posted by Zonk on Thursday April 27, 2006 @06:26PM from the you-know-you-want-to dept.

sfeinstein writes "Power companies using dynamic pricing models to charge more for electricity during hours of peak usage is nothing new. Now, however, one company has decided to take advantage of this by using technology to buy (and store) capacity when rates are low and use that capacity when rates are at their highest." From the article: "The device, called GridPoint Protect, is the size of a small file cabinet and connects to the circuitbreaker panel. (The company also offers a lower-capacity version designed for homes, which costs $10,000.) A built-in computer powered by a Pentium chip will make intelligent purchase decisions, buying when prices are low, then storing the electricity for later use. That will make it possible to run your company during the workday with cheaper electricity that you purchased at 3 A.M."

Senate Bill May Ban Streaming MP3s 503

Posted by Zonk on Thursday April 27, 2006 @02:58PM from the i-like-the-streaming dept.

Silverhammer writes "According to the EFF, a new Senate bill (S. 2644) sponsored by Senators Feinstein (D-CA) and Graham (R-SC) would effectively ban streaming MP3 for licensed music by requireing 'casters to use the most restrictive streaming format available (e.g., Windows Media or Real) rather than simply the most restrictive features of a chosen streaming format (e.g., Shoutcast or streaming MP3)." From the article: "The PERFORM Act would ... requir[e] webcasters to use DRM that restricts the recording of webcasts. That means no more MP3 streams if you rely on the statutory license. Under the bill, the statutory license would only be available to a webcaster if: [114(d)(2)(C)(vi)] the transmitting entity takes no affirmative steps to authorize, enable, cause or induce the making of a copy or phonorecord by or for the transmission recipient and uses technology that is reasonably available, technologically feasible, and economically reasonable to prevent the making of copies or phonorecords embodying the transmission in whole or in part, except for reasonable recording as defined in this subsection."

Comment Re:My vote.. (Score 1) 283

by panza on Friday December 02, 2005 @01:48PM (#14167587) Attached to: Free Software Foundation Begins Rewriting the GPL

I guess the requirement is to prevent the following situation (with apologies to Douglas Adams): "But Mr. Dent, the source has been available in the local planning office for the last nine months. Oh yes, well, as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything. But the source was on display... On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find it. That's the display department. With a flashlight. Ah, well, the lights had probably gone. So had the stairs. But look, you found the source, didn't you? Yes, said Arthur, yes I did. It was on display on the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard."

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