Comment The Swiss were against fighting *real* Nazis... (Score 1) 294
... so it's no surprise they don't even want to fight virtual ones.
Comment Re:BBC asked the same question (Score 2, Informative) 209
The BBC article was even more inaccurate than the current one being discussed: http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2009/11/five-bbc-fact-fails.html
Submission + - Open Source Chat Bridge Between Virtual Worlds (ostatic.com)
wjamesau writes: "The Parallel Selves Message Bridge, a new addition to the code forge of OpenSimulator, the "Apache for virtual worlds", makes it possible for users within one OpenSim world to send IMs to users currently logged into another Second Life-compatible world. Check out the screen cap of my avatar in SL chatting with someone in OpenSim. In the future, technology like this could make it possible to keep in contact with friends in other virtual worlds and MMOs without having to log out. Imagine orcs and space commandos and furries in alternate realities but still in contact!"
Linux Creator Calls GPLv3 Authors 'Hypocrites' 920
AlexGr writes "We've heard conflicting tales regarding Linus Torvalds' acceptance of GPLv3. InformationWeek reports on comments by Mr. Torvalds that would seem to decide the issue: 'Torvalds said the authors of a new software license expected to be used by thousands of open source programmers are a bunch of hypocrites ... For Torvalds' part, it appears unlikely he'll ever adopt GPLv3 for the Linux kernel. He accused the Free Software Foundation leadership, which includes eccentric, MIT-trained computing whiz Richard Stallman, of injecting their personal morality into the laws governing open source software with the release of GPLv3. "Only religious fanatics and totalitarian states equate morality with legality," Torvalds wrote.'"
Microsoft Patents Process To "Unpirate" Music 241
Unequivocal writes "A new Wired magazine blog entry shows that Microsoft has patented a technique for preventing and reversing music piracy at the hardware level. 'Microsoft and Apple are thinking along the same lines when it comes to enabling users to copy music between their wireless devices. Certain cellphones already allow you to [transfer music] via Bluetooth file transfer, but Microsoft's patented idea would take the concept further, by allowing users to trade MP3s that may have come from file sharing networks to one another, expiring the song on the recipient's device after three plays, unless the user pays Microsoft a fee in order to continue to listen to the track, with a percentage going to the person who provided the song. As the abstract puts it, "even [the] resale of pirated media content [can] benefit... the copyright holder."'"
How to Backup Your Smart Phone 85
Lucas123 writes "According to a Computerworld story there will be 8 million cell phones/smart phones lost this year. The site describes how to easily back up data on handhelds. The piece also addresses the future of these technologies: 'In Dulaney's opinion, traditional USB syncing "will die." Gartner is telling its corporate customers they should hasten this process by not permitting their employees to sync to their PCs. He explains this by saying that individual end users can create distributed computing and security problems because they are poor data administrators. Moreover, he adds, PCs are not necessarily more reliable than cell phones. Drake gives a qualified endorsement of wireless e-mail as the master application for backing up and syncing data, saying the technology is fine for dedicated e-mail environments but insufficient for corporate environments that require a vast array of wireless applications.'"
CEO Questionably Used Pseudonym to Post Online 187
jpallas writes "The Wall Street Journal reports that court filings by the FTC about Whole Foods' plan to acquire Wild Oats reveal an unusual detail: The CEO of Whole Foods regularly posted to a Yahoo! stock bulletin board under a pseudonym. His alter ego was feisty, to say the least, and regularly disparaged the company that he later decided to acquire. A former SEC chairman called the behavior 'bizarre and ill-advised, even if it isn't illegal.' This certainly raises questions about online rights to free speech and anonymity, especially when the line between free speech and regulated speech depends on who is speaking as much as what they are saying."
Net Radio Wins Partial Reprieve 96
Joren writes "Just a few hours after our last discussion on this topic, Wired News is reporting that Internet radio broadcasters have won a temporary reprieve from the new rates. Apparently the details are still being worked out. 'A coalition of webcasters have worked out a deal with the recording industry that could temporarily stave off a portion of crippling net radio royalties set to take effect Sunday, according to people familiar with the negotiations ... For now, the parties involved in what's described as ongoing negotiations have agreed to waive at least temporarily the minimum charge of $6,000 per channel required under a scheme created by the Copyright Royalty Board, or CRB. The deal, brokered late Thursday, is not final and could change. One person involved in the talks described the situation as a reprieve, and said that internet radio won't be saved until a workable royalty rate is set.'"
Submission + - T-Mobile UK blocking mobile VoIP start-up
wjamesau writes: "The war between telecoms and VOIP heats up: according to Om Malik, T-Mobile UK is refusing to interconnect with mobile VoIP provider Truphone, a UK start-up with a mobile VoIP client that enables calls cheaper than mobile. Can mobile companies successfully crush VOIP competitors like this?"
Submission + - IBM, Sun launch *intranet* metaverses
wjamesau writes: "Virtual worlds on the Net? That's so last month. Sun and IBM have launched intranet metaverses designed for business and architected to work behind their corporate firewalls, so their worldwide employees can use them to collaborate together. Most interesting to game developers, IBM (which also runs a private, no public access Second Life island as a development lab) created their intranet world from the 3D Torque engine from Garage Games. Will the metaverse actually be thousands of gated community metaverses?"
Submission + - FFVII RPG in Second Life with Square's OK (maybe)
wjamesau writes: "A group of Second Life Residents have created an amazing-looking RPG inspired by the city of Midgar from Final Fantasy VII, with a scripted combat system and game masters who run the SOLDIER versus AVALANCHE action. An interesting twist is that Squaresoft, the owners of the Final Fantasy IP, apparently gave the non-commercial project their blessing — or maybe not. The island of Midgar has changed ownership so no one's quite sure, but the several hundred players keep it going through donations, and even stranger (as my game review Onder Skall reports): "Operating as if Square gave approval has
made them act as if they work for Square. They have rules about never
sharing information about pirating Final Fantasy gear, and are the best
promotion of any brand in Second Life. If Square were ever to come to
Second Life, no PR manager could dream of creating a more dedicated player base
than this one.""
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In less than a century, computers will be making substantial progress on ... the overriding problem of war and peace. -- James Slagle
