What's killing Hollywood (not piracy!)

Boing Boing: What's killing Hollywood (not piracy!): "What's killing Hollywood (not piracy!) This short, sharp list of what's killing Hollywood is pithy and to the point, and the perfect note to sign off for the weekend with -- I'm going away for a couple days' worth of birthday celebration and I'll be back on Tuesdayish! 1. Hollywood cannot control its marketing costs or star salaries. The growing importance of DVDs increases the 'needle in the haystack' problem for any single film and thus locks studios into more marketing, creating a vicious spiral. 2. TV is now so much better, and offers artists greater creative freedom. Why watch movies?
3. The Internet is outcompeting cinema, whether at the multiplex or on DVD. 4. Big TV screens are keeping people at home, which lowers box office receipts. This also hurts the long-term prospects of many DVDs. 5. The demand for DVDs has fallen because movie lovers have completed their core collections, just as the demands for classical CDs have fallen. 6. The demand for DVDs was due to fall in any case. Forget the collectors, you buy DVDs to have a stock on hand so you don't have to run out to the video store on short notice. Now everyone has a stock. Stocks must be replenished every now and then, but there is no longer a large new cohort simultaneously building up a stock from scratch."

interesting!!!

Live 8

Live 8: "Live 8 Video Downloads"

O'Connor to resign from Supreme Court

O'Connor to resign from Supreme Court: "Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the high court and the key swing vote in some of the nation's highest-profile cases, announced her resignation Friday."

Tapeten der 70er - Startseite

Tapeten der 70er - Startseite: 70's wallpaper today!!!

Boing Boing: David Byrne mops up the world.

Boing Boing: David Byrne mops up the world.: "I caught an incredible performance by David Byrne at the Hollywood Bowl in LA tonight. Backed by the Texas-based Tosca Strings. Impassioned, funky, magnificent. Arcade Fire opened, and Byrne teamed up with them during his set -- then unleashed San Francisco's Extra Action Marching Band on the crowd and jammed with them for a few numbers towards the end. Closed with a samba-tinged cover of Beyonce's 'Crazy' that climaxed in a squirming heap of dry-humping, baton-twirling, bethonged marching band members, center stage. The show heads to San Diego tomorrow night (with the marching band!), and NYC on the 29th. If you're in either city, consider it unmissable. "

BBC - Radio 1 Glastonbury 2005

BBC - Radio 1 Glastonbury 2005: "Watch live video of bands from Glastonbury, See footage of The Doves, Fatboy Slim, Babyshambles and Bloc Party's Friday performances..."

holy shit! growing up wanting every year to be there and now i get to watch! not the same but pretty close!!! so far everyone i have seen put on a great set, now live, interpol!!!

Litiholo home hologram kit

Litiholo home hologram kit: "While you won%u2019t achieve projections of your toddler sputtering Chelp me Tinky Winky, you're my only hope, the
Litiholo Hologram Kit does allow you to make your own 3D laser holograms at home. The kit includes a SafetyLight
laser and all the other bits required to create and view the image. But what really makes this kit usable by us hacks
is their Polaroidesque Instant Hologram Film (a reasonable $2US per hologram) which unlike traditional holographic
film does not require chemical processing, a dark room, or even vibration free hardware. The same laser is then used to
view the hologram. The kit is available now and includes 20 film plates for $139US."

Bionic man controls artificial limbs with his mind

Bionic man controls artificial limbs with his mind: "Jesse Sullivan lost both arms after touching live wires as a Tennessee utility lineman. Researchers have been able to fit him with artificial limbs he can actually control merely by thinking, moving them by will just as if they were real limbs. He also reportedly feels sensation in the bionic arms and, eventually, tiny sensors in the fingertips will allow him to feel texture and temperature as well."

Pentagon Creating A Database Of Students

Pentagon Creating A Database Of Students: "'The Washington Post is reporting that the Pentagon is working with a marketing firm to create a database of students ages 16 through college to help them identify recruits. A little chuckle from the Pentagon in the article: '...anyone can opt out of the system by providing detailed personal information that will be kept in a separate suppression file. That file will be matched with the full database regularly to ensure that those who do not wish to be contacted are not, according to the Pentagon.''"

as if there were new!!!

The Rolling Stones will play the historic Hollywood Bowl for the first time since 1966

The Rolling Stones will play the historic Hollywood Bowl for the first time since 1966 : "when their upcoming tour reaches Los Angeles in November. The rock veterans will perform at the outdoor venue on Sunday, Nov. 6, with tickets going on sale to the public on June 27 via Ticketmaster, according their Web site. Prices will range from $63.50 to $454.50. Capacity at the 83-year-old site is just under 18,000. The only other Los Angeles-area show currently on the itinerary of the Stones' On Stage tour will be at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Nov. 4. The trek begins on Aug. 21 in Boston. The Stones last played the Bowl on July 25, 1966, the eve of singer Mick Jagger's 23rd birthday. Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood performed there last year during a Rod Stewart gig."

Lions rescue kidnapped girl

Lions rescue kidnapped girl: "Three lions reportedly rescued a 12-year-old girl from her kidnappers in Bita Genet, Ethiopia. The girl had been held captive for seven days by men who intended to force her into a marriage. Police say the lions scared off the kidnappers and stayed to protect her. From the Associated Press:
'They stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest,' (police sergeant Wondimu Wedajo) said, adding he did not know whether the lions were male or female...Stuart Williams, a wildlife expert with the rural development ministry, said that it was likely that the young girl was saved because she was crying from the trauma of her attack. 'A young girl whimpering could be mistaken for the mewing sound from a lion cub, which in turn could explain why they (the lions) didn't eat her,' Williams said. 'Otherwise they probably would have done.'"

Legal Music Downloads At 35%, Soon To Pass Piracy

Legal Music Downloads At 35%, Soon To Pass Piracy: "'Entertainment Media Research released a study stating that 35% of music listeners are using legal download services, and that the percentage will soon surpass illegal downloads, currently at 40%. Slashdot has also previously reported on services like iTunes gaining in popularity over P2P services. 'The findings indicate that the music industry is approaching a strategic milestone with the population of legal downloaders close to exceeding that of pirates,' said Entertainment Media Research chief executive Russell Hart.''"

BARELY LEGAL RADIO

BARELY LEGAL RADIO: Joe Escalante of the Vandals talks law on indie 103.1!

wow i had no idea, how cool, punk rock lawyers!!!

America Online Inc. unlocks the gates of AOL's walled garden today

America Online Inc. unlocks the gates of AOL's walled garden today: "giving everyone free access to features and content previously available only to subscribers. Jonathan Miller, America Online chairman and CEO, is heading this fundamental shift in the company's approach to the Internet, guided by his years as an entertainment executive and his relationship with AOL parent Time Warner. He detailed his plans and strategies in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter's Chris Marlowe, editorial director of digital media."

Radio 1 to be broadcast in US

Radio 1 to be broadcast in US: "The station has reached a deal with SIRIUS Satellite Radio which allows many Americans their first opportunity to hear the station. Andy Parfitt, controller of Radio 1, said: 'This is such an exciting development. Radio 1 already has a strong international reputation amongst music fans around the world, including the US. Now the station can be heard easily across America. With our commitment to great new UK music we hope that we can help British acts make inroads into the massive US music market. The show will be broadcast with a delay, so that the station can be heard as intended ie, breakfast will go out in the mornings, local time. Broadcasts are due to start in the US later this summer."

wow! i may have to buy one of those damn things after all!!!

URGENT: Call your Senator RIGHT NOW or live with the goddamned Broadcast Flag forever!

URGENT: Call your Senator RIGHT NOW or live with the goddamned Broadcast Flag forever!: "

Danny sez,

We've heard rumors that the Broadcast Flag that Cory, the EFF, and a coalition of pressure groups have fought so hard against (and beat in the courts) will be sneaked back via an amendment to the giant Senate Appropriations Bill in a sub-committee at 2PM EST on Tuesday 21st. This week is Hollywood's last chance to ram the flag past Congress, and they're working hard to get it under the radar.
There's no time to write letters or start a media campaign: but folk in the states below have just enough time to warn their senators, who are all on the sub-committee. People of Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin - it's up to you!
There's a sample script after the phone list. Remember: be cool, collected and polite. Most of these senators won't know a thing about the flag, until one of them makes it a throwaway amendment tomorrow. Make sure their ears twitch when they hear 'broadcast flag' today.
ALABAMA Senator Richard Shelby (202) 224-5744
ALASKA Senator Ted Stevens (202) 224-3004
HAWAII Senator Daniel Inouye (202) 224-3934
IOWA Senator Tom Harkin (202) 224-3254
KANSAS Senator Sam Brownback (202) 224-6521
KENTUCKY Senator Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541
MARYLAND Senator Barbara Mikulski (202) 224-4654
MISSOURI Senator Christopher Bond (202) 224-5721
NEW HAMPSHIRE Senator Judd Gregg (202) 224-3324
NEW MEXICO Senator Pete Domenici (202) 224-6621
NORTH DAKOTA Senator Byron Dorgan (202) 224-2551
TEXAS Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (202) 224-5922
VERMONT Senator Patrick Leahy (202) 224-4242
WASHINGTON Senator Patty Murray (202) 224-2621
WISCONSIN Senator Herb Kohl (202) 224-5653
'Hello, Senator _________'s office'
'Hi, I'm a constituent. I'm registering my opposition to
the broadcast flag amendment being introduced in the
Senate Commerce Justice and Science Appropriations
subcommittee mark-up on Tuesday, and in full committee on
Thursday.'
(*** You can give your own reasons for opposing the flag
here. Here's a sample: ***)
'The Broadcast Flag cripples any device capable of
receiving over-the-air digital broadcasts.'
'It give Hollywood movie studios a permanent veto over how members
of the American public use our televisions.'
'It forces American innovators to beg the FCC for permission before
adding new features to TV.'
'It will prevent fair use of copyrighted works: critical review, and use of
material in distance learning'
'This is an important issue which will affect all Americans,
and should not be inserted in a large bill, at the last moment, with no debate.'
'Please oppose the broadcast flag amendment. My name and
address are ___________________.'
'Thank you for your time.'
Good luck!


Link

(Thanks, Danny!)
Update: You can now fax and email appropriation committee members for free at the EFF's action center. Do it tonight, or live with the consequences of a Hollywood veto over your PC forever."

Jon Aquino's Mental Garden: YubNub: My entry for the Rails Day 24 hour programming contest

Jon Aquino's Mental Garden: YubNub: My entry for the Rails Day 24 hour programming contest: "YubNub is a command-line for the web. After setting it up on your browser, you simply type 'gim porsche 911' to do a Google Image Search for pictures of Porsche 911 sports cars. Type 'random 49' to return random numbers between 1 and 49, courtesy of random.org. And best of all, you can make a new command by giving YubNub an appropriate URL."

Bloggers Test New MS China Filter

Bloggers Test New MS China Filter: "'Rebecca MacKinnon at Global Voices Online has set up a test of Microsoft's censored blogs on MSN China (see previous Slashdot story) with screenshots. It seems that MSN rejected titling a new blog 'I love freedom of speech, human rights, and democracy' (in Chinese) because 'The title must not contain prohibited language, such as profanity.' MacKinnon managed to use a workaround and got a pro-freedom blog up, for the moment.'"

Grosso case could be test of Calif. law

Grosso case could be test of Calif. law: "As Hollywood nervously awaits the Grokster decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has been petitioned to hear another potentially far-reaching copyright case. Miramax v. Grosso, which grew out of the alleged unauthorized use of Jeff Grosso's script 'The Shell Game,' could drive the high court to revisit the 1976 Copyright Act, state and federal jurisdiction over copyright cases and the notion of an implied contract. Attorneys for Miramax asked the Supreme Court to consider the case -- and a controversial ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals -- in a petition for writ of certiorari filed this week."

Supreme Court down with Beastie Boys

Supreme Court down with Beastie Boys: "The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider whether a 1992 Beastie Boys song infringed on the copyright of a jazz flutist's recording. Without comment, justices let stand a lower court ruling against jazz artist James W. Newton. Newton contended that the punk rappers' 'Pass the Mic' included a sample from his musical composition 'Choir' without his full permission. The Beastie Boys paid a licensing fee for the six-second, three-note segment of Newton's work, but failed to pay an additional fee to license the underlying composition. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to dismiss Newton's lawsuit alleging copyright infringement. The appeals court reasoned that the short segment in 'Pass the Mic' was not distinctive enough to be considered Newton's work."

Viewing Files on the Web Considered Possession?

Viewing Files on the Web Considered Possession?: "'A Georgia lawyer is taking a case to appeals court to prove that the mere act of viewing a website does not constitute possession of the materials that were automatically cached on your hard drive.' While the case in question involves pornographic photos, the implications of such a declaration could reach far further."

HOWTO Stream from iTunes to your mobile phone

HOWTO Stream from iTunes to your mobile phone: "DittyBot is a script for OS X that uses a clever combination of mobile email and VoIP to stream music from your iTunes collection to your cellphone. Using your phone, email the title/artist info for a song in your iTunes library to DittyBot, which is running on your Mac, pulling down mail every minute. DittyBot receives the request, calls you with Skype, and plays the song back to you over voice-over-IP using iTunes. Wow. You send a text message from your mobile phone to your POP email account. Your text message should contain the keywords of a song title (and possibly an artist name) that you want to hear. DittyBot finds that email (he checks Mail every 45 seconds) and copies the song name into a text file. The song name is then copied into iTunes and a playlist is created from your search. Next, DittyBot loads Skype (the internet telephony app) and begins calling your mobile phone. Your mobile phone rings and when you pick it up, you should hear your song start playing in all its compressed glory. DittyBot will play your selection to you over your phone until you hang up. Mind you, this all should happen within 1 minute of sending your song request (depending on the speed of your POP server). Sometimes it's even quicker!"

why? because you can!!!

IIP's retinal implant restores limited eyesight to the blind

IIP's retinal implant restores limited eyesight to the blind: "There have been some more academic inquiries into this concept, but it looks like IIP is the first to commercialize this retinal implant technology, which combines an ocular microchip with a small video camera integrated into a pair of glasses to restore limited vision to patients with hereditary blindness. The processing duties are handled by a microcomputer clipped to a belt, which takes visual information received by the glasses and converts it into electrical pulses that stimulate the patient's optic nerve."

Dinosaur Jr extend reunion tour

Dinosaur Jr extend reunion tour: "DINOSAUR JR have added yet more dates to their reunion tour. The band recently played in the UK with their original line-up for the first time in over 15 years. Now frontman J Mascis, along with bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph have added a series of US West Coast dates to the list of already announced North American shows, kickng off on August 13 in Las Vegas. The full list of dates is as follows:
Orlando House of Blues (July 7)
Atlanta Variety Playhouse (8)
Norfolk The Norva (9)
Carrboro Cat's Cradle (10)
Washington DC 9:30 Club (11)
Northampton Pearl Street (12)
Philadelphia Electric Factory (13)
New York Central Park SummerStage (14)
Boston Avalon (15)
Quebec City Summer Festival (16)
Toronto Phoenix Concert Theatre (17)
Cleveland House of Blues (19)
Detroit Majestic Theatre (20)
Covington Madison Theater (21)
Milwaukee The Eagles Club (22)
Minneapolis The Quest (23)
Chicago Lollapalooza (24)
Fuji Rock Festival (29-31)
Las Vegas House of Blues (August 13)
San Diego Soma (15)
Anaheim The Grove (16)
Los Angeles Avalon (17)
San Francisco Fillmore (18)
Portland Crystal Ballroom (19)
Seattle The Showbox (20)
Vancouver Commodore Ballroom (22)
Carling Weekend: Reading Festival (27)
Carling Weekend: Leeds Festival (28)"

DIY DJ cassette decks

DIY DJ cassette decks: "Score one for lovers of all things audio and retro: DJ Aptem has cooked up a pair of DJ decks any analog fiend would wet themselves over. These are varispeed tape decks with jog wheel, EQ and motor off switches to cover your mixing needs whilst rifling through those old dubs you made long before DRM was even a gleam in the RIAA's eye."

Fight against file sharers heads to the courts

Fight against file sharers heads to the courts: "The BRITISH PHONOGRAPHIC INDUSTRY (BPI) have said their fight against illegal file-sharers is likely to end up in the courts."

Lessig on the World Social Forum

Lessig on the World Social Forum: "'Lawrence Lessig has a great article up on Technology Review about the World Social Forum held this past January in Brazil. In addition to telling an engaging story, it covers topics ranging from GNU and DRM to Brazil's interesting stance on the rights of foreign copyright holders, and is a good introduction to the permission culture/remix culture debate. It also makes me want to live in Brazil.'"

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger for x86 Leaked?

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger for x86 Leaked?: "'Mac Daily News is reporting that Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger for x86 processors has been leaked to the internet already. Apparently the version running on the development kit machines is easily transfered to run on any x86 machine. Conspiracy theorists unite: an Apple marketing scheme?'"

Week of Music

what a week! pixies, 6 feet from kim in the pit!!! kraftwork, robots, no more need be said!!! and kasabian, madchester is alive and well, and living in 2005!!!

iTunes More Popular Than Most P2P Sites

iTunes More Popular Than Most P2P Sites: "A study by NPD Group shows that iTunes ranks #2 in popularity of music downloads, rivaling services like Limewire, Kazaa, and iMesh. The #1 service was still WinMX, but NPD believes this proves to the music industry that legal downloads can work, and that iTunes provides an economically viable alternative.' From the article: 'According to NPD, about 4 percent of Internet-enabled households in the nation used a paid music download store in March."

In medical marijuana case, Supreme Court says everything is interstate commerce

In medical marijuana case, Supreme Court says everything is interstate commerce: "On politech, Declan McCullagh writes: Today's decision in Gonzales v. Raich hints at how the Supreme Court would rule on other cases dealing with federalism. It also shows the lack of respect that six of the current Supreme Court justices have for the plain text of the Constitution. GMU law professor David Bernstein's take: another way to say it is that we live during a time of rule by men and women on the bench and in Congress, each governed by personal whims and predilections and fears. The rule of law, with a federal government properly limited by constitutional dictates, no longer exists."

US Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Lexmark Case

US Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Lexmark Case: "The US Supreme Court has rejected Lexmark's petition for certiorari in its long and bitter battle against North Carolina-based Static Control Components (SCC). For those out of the loop on this one, Lexmark tried to lock in consumers and lock out competition by adding code to their printers and toner cartridges so that only Lexmark toners would work. SSC defeated their monopolist technology and began selling the off-brand chips to aftermarket toner cartridge makers. As discussed here earlier, in mid-February Lexmark was dealt a defeat by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, who denied Lexmark's request for a rehearing. Other related threads here, here, here, here, and here.' The story is on the AP Newswire as well."

Extending Pop Music Copyrights

Extending Pop Music Copyrights: "'According to TimesOnLine, the UK is considering doubling the copyright term for popular music to 100 years. That means the Beatles' 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me,' scheduled to to go into the public domain in 2013, would earn royalties for record companies until 2063.'"

Live from WWDC: Steve Jobs keynote

Live from WWDC: Steve Jobs keynote : "Apple's moving Macs to Intel, Microsoft's moving Xbox360 to PPC... Everything you know is wrong, man."

quote of the day!!!

Baby punk tee

Baby punk tee: "This baby punk tee sports age-appropriate nihilistic slogans such as ANTI-CRIB and BEDTIME SUCKS."

word my future little people are getting these!!! actually on second thought my little people will screen their own!!!

Slashdot | Judge Rules Offering != Distributing

Slashdot | Judge Rules Offering != Distributing: "'From the EFF's website: 'Judge Marilyn Patel issued a ruling (PDF) Wednesday that settles an important question in the ongoing Napster case -- whether under the law, simply offering copyrighted material to others means you're distributing it. Copyright holders have to prove that someone actually downloaded the file from you before you can be found liable for distributing. The simple act of offering isn't enough. It clarifies the law, providing a safeguard against the over-reach that the ART Act threatened.' Ernie Miller and Techdirt have more on this decision.'"

comments later!!!

Think you know the Apple Newton's History? Think again

Think you know the Apple Newton's History? Think again: an interesting storuy of the apple newton and its sorted history. most interesting i found this quote... "Apple ... decided to stop developing its own handwriting recognition software in favor of Calligrapher (now sold as a Pocket PC app) from a small Muscovite software publisher." WOW! who knew!!!

Free conference calling

Free conference calling: "Web site FreeConference.com lets you conduct conference calls using your regular phone with up to 25 participants for free.
Schedule a conference call on the FreeConference.com site and you%u2019ll receive a call-in number and access code for participants to join in. The call-in number is not toll-free, so regular long distance charges can apply. (The Premium version costs the organizer 10 cents a minute per participant, but callers get a toll-free number to join in.) Fantastic for coordinating with groups of friends or remote co-workers."

Bush Wants Right to ISP Customer Data

Bush Wants Right to ISP Customer Data: "'Wired is reporting that the Bush administration wants back the ability to make ISPs turn over information on their customers. The U.S. Court of Appeals is handling the case and of course the feds want to hide details of it from the public. The law giving the government the power to seize communications records from 1986 was strengthened in 2001 by the Patriot Act and struck down after the ACLU challenged it.'"

Platinum record sonograms compared

Platinum record sonograms compared: "This site has turned the tracks off dozens of platinum albums into sonograms, then analyzed the sonogram similarities between different hits, trying to peg the mathematics of a hit."

perfect pop structure!!!

2005 Risks In Global Filmmaking Map

2005 Risks In Global Filmmaking Map: "The 2005 Risks in Global Filmmaking Map measures crime, corruption, kidnap and ransom, disease and medical care risks, and references terrorism and political risks."

Asimo takes its dog for a walk

or is Abio walks his human?!?!?

How to back up and restore your important Mac OS X 10.4 files

How to back up and restore your important Mac OS X 10.4 files: tips from apple!!!

Strike Looms Against Game Makers

Strike Looms Against Game Makers : "I filed this report for Wired News today on labor conflict between the game industry and two Hollywood unions representing voiceover talent. The most contentious issue at hand: whether actors should be entitled to a share of the profits from video games that feature their voices. 'Nine of the top 10 selling games in 2004 were produced with union contracts, using union voice talent -- and because of that, the quality of those games becomes exponentially higher,' said Seth Ostrom, a representative of SAG and AFTRA. Under one of several models proposed by the two unions, actors would receive additional compensation when a game in which their voice is used sells 400,000 units. When sales reach additional 100,000-unit thresholds, the actors would receive additional payments. 'Every other sector of the entertainment industry provides some residual profit-sharing model to performers whose talents make the product come alive,' Ostrom told Wired News. 'The video-game business is the only exception, and that's unfair.'
Bob Finlayson, of the game industry's Publishers Interactive Bargaining Group, disagrees.'People buy games for gameplay, not to hear voices,' counters Finlayson. 'And technology creates gameplay, not actors. People who play these games understand that, and in fact, some gamers turn the volume down because (they) find those voices distracting. In film or television, the actor's performance makes the experience. In video games, it does not.'"

Bob Geldof gives 'Live Aid 2' the go-ahead

Bob Geldof gives 'Live Aid 2' the go-ahead: "BOB GELDOF has confirmed that he and MIDGE URE are planning a huge gig to coincide with the G8 summit in July, although it will not be called LIVE AID 2. “What started 20 years ago is coming to a political point in a few weeks," said Geldof. "There's more than a chance that the boys and girls with guitars will finally get to turn the world on its axis.""

Closing windows make exhibs hot

Closing windows make exhibs hot: "If Mark Cuban has his way, theatrical distribution may never be the same. 2929 Entertainment, the company Cuban founded with partner Todd Wagner, is determined to collapse the traditional distribution windows by simultaneously releasing films across theatrical, home video and cable. But even though the experiment has barely begun, it already is running into steely opposition from theater owners across the country who are up in arms."

people get ready and pick a side cause war is coming! do you know who your friends are, cause i don't do windows?!?!

Indie 103.1

Indie 103.1; if your not listening you really should be! within 10mins this morn, pil - public image limited, the fall - victoria, and dk - holiday in cambodia! thanks dicky!!!

oh yeah and later, age of consent! still up jonesy!!!

Decriminalizing File Swapping

Decriminalizing File Swapping: "'Wired reports that judicial activism is taking hold in France, much to the dismay of the recording industry, as judges are beginning to suspend the sentences of convicted file swappers. Further, they believe they are starting a revolution against the draconian laws at the base of the industry's legal agenda, and that sometimes laws need to be changed. Says Judge Dominique Barella of the laws against file swapping in today's society: 'It is similar to the sociological consequences of the Prohibition period in the U.S. (during the 1920s). Certain laws can have unexpected consequences on society.''"

Official BitTorrent Search Opens

Official BitTorrent Search Opens: "'The official BitTorrent search has debuted. The search engine was built by BT inventor Bram Cohen. The question? Will he get sued? The BT search seems to be down right now. (It'll really be down after this story is posted...) Spiegel has more (En): 'Naturally other sites such as Bitoogle, Isohunt, SuprNova or Torrentspy have tried before, but either they became fast a goal of legal attacks on the part of the industry or they furnished rather durchwachsene [??] results. BitTorrent search however proves with first tests [that it is] as...Google...fast. The results come from a large number [of] more well-known and unknown... sites, and...permits sufficient restricting to the inquiry, in order to obtain really relevant results.''"

Feds Shut Down Elite Torrents

Feds Shut Down Elite Torrents: "Cnn Money reports, 'Government agents said the onslaught included 10 search warrants and the shut down of a central Web site used to coordinate all file-sharing activity on the Elite Torrents network. That Web site, Elitetorrents.org, had a selection of copyrighted works that government officials described as virtually unlimited."

Cory's Broadcast Flag talk as streaming video

Cory's Broadcast Flag talk as streaming video: "On Wednesday, I gave a talk at the London campus of Florida State University on the American Broadcast Flag and the coming European Broadcast Flag. A friend of Alfie's brought down a couple of camcorders and filmed the whole thing and now it's up as a pair of streaming Quicktimes."

PGP Ruled as Relevant For Criminal Case

PGP Ruled as Relevant For Criminal Case: "'A Minnesota appeals unamimously ruled in a child porn case that 'the existence of an encryption program' on the defendants computer could be admitted as evidence of criminal intent. The article doesn't mention if this can be taken into account for sentencing too.'"

this sounds very creepy and if i wasn't so tired i'd probably write at length about the federal rules of evidence the first amendment and the reasoning behind the fourth. but for now we'll stick with its creepy!!!

The Stone Roses to reform?

The Stone Roses to reform?: "JOHN SQUIRE has said that he wants to reform THE STONE ROSES."

Limited edition Stone Roses prints set for release

Limited edition Stone Roses prints set for release: "STONE ROSES guitarist JOHN SQUIRE's original artwork for the band's legendary SPIKE ISLAND concert is being issued in 150 limited edition prints. To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the event, johnsquireart.com is offering the exclusive digital prints for a price of ?250. Prints will be available for order from this Friday (May 27). The original image was created by Squire as artwork for the event and subsequently used for T-shirts and posters. Touted as the Woodstock for the E generation, 28,000 people gathered together in May 1990 at Spike Island to celebrate the fusion of dance and rock."

Vestax VRX-2000

Vestax VRX-2000: "Burning CDs is so April 2005. Why play around with CDs when you can burn vinyl! Let the Vestax VRX-2000 be your vinyl solution, turning content from any audio source tapes to MP3s to sound cards into hot wax for DJs and sentimentalists alike. Vestax claims the sound quality and durability [is] similar to that of commercially pressed vinyl. There you go."

MPAA Blames BitTorrent for Star Wars Distribution

MPAA Blames BitTorrent for Star Wars Distribution: "Slyck News reports on
the MPAA's press release (.doc) blaming the BitTorrent protocol for the leak of Episode III. MPAA President and CEO Dan Glickman: 'There is no better example of how theft dims the magic of the movies for everyone than this report today regarding BitTorrent providing users with illegal copies of Revenge of the Sith. The unfortunate fact is this type of theft happens on a regular basis on peer to peer networks all over the world.'"

if i were an mpaa member, i couldn't work fast enough to eject glickman from his post. what kind of an idiot makes a comment about the dangers of p2p, using as an example a movie currently holding the title for biggest single day in cinematic history. fuking joke. and not being a member of the mpaa, dan shut up stop wasting electrons and bandwidth, i'm trying to watch the movie!!!

Noel Gallagher: "It's only a matter of time until Stone Roses reform"

Noel Gallagher: "It's only a matter of time until Stone Roses reform": "It's only a matter of time until STONE ROSES reform, NOEL GALLAGHER has claimed. Speaking in the current issue of City Life magazine in Manchester, Gallagher, who is friends with Ian Brown, claimed the four original members of the Roses would be idiots if they didn't play together again. He said: "They've got unfinished business, and they'd have to do new tunes, but they'd be idiots if they didn't; Mani would at the drop of a hat; Ian (Brown) and John (Squire) have got issues, but they can be worked out.' The three original members of the band, except Brown were recently spotted at a gig together in Manchester."

Stem Cells Derived from Human Clones

Stem Cells Derived from Human Clones: "'Wired News reports that South Korean scientists have made a dramatic breakthrough by deriving stem cells from cloned embryos of patients with spinal cord injuries. It shouldn't be long before we can expect have a set of replacement parts ready when our own wear out.' From the article: 'Researchers must test the cells in animals before they can try the therapy in humans. But embryonic stem-cell researchers were shocked and delighted by the advance, which many had referred to as a distant possibility until they saw this study by Woo Suk Hwang and his colleagues at Seoul National University, which appears in the May 20 issue of Science.'"

Teacher Fired for P2P Lecture

Teacher Fired for P2P Lecture: "'A teacher at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, was forced to resign after a talk about P2P networks. You can read his side of the story on his blog.' From the article: 'The day before the conference, the Dean (pressured by the Spanish Recording Industry Association 'Promusicae' as I found out later, and he recognized himself in a quote to the national newspaper El Pais, and even the Motion Picture Association of America, as another newspaper quotes) tried to stop it by denying permission to use the scheduled venue. So I scheduled a second one, and that was denied again. And a third time. Finally I gave the conference on the university cafeteria, for 5 hours, in front of 150 people.' Commentary on this story at BoingBoing as well."

Happy Mondays return to Manchester

Happy Mondays return to Manchester: "HAPPY MONDAYS have confirmed their first MANCHESTER date in five years. The band will play at the Manchester Evening News Arena on October 29, with support from The Farm and Stereo MCs."

Nintendo promises a console that will run anyone's code?

Nintendo promises a console that will run anyone's code?: "Hidden in a fluffy press release for Nintendo's new Revolution console device is this notice:

Freedom of design: A dynamic development architecture equally accommodates both big-budget, high-profile game 'masterpieces' as well as indie games conceived by individual developers equipped with only a big idea.

Not much detail, but if Nintendo makes good on that promise, they're poised to kick the competition's ass: a world of consoles that only ran signed code was a nice racket while it lasted, but at the end of the day, needing to get permission to run software on your own device sucks and devices that let anyone write software for them get more valuable as more people write more code for them"

Star Wars III online, all studio countermeasures futile, Lucas still rich

Star Wars III online, all studio countermeasures futile, Lucas still rich: "There's a workprint of Star Wars Episode III on the Internet already. It's got some timecode and watermarks, but judging from the 19 second XVID sample that Waxy has posted, it seems like it's eminently watchable. Workprints leak from studios. The studios are trying to lock down what customers do with DVDs and cable TV and PCs, but they can't even keep their own house in order. They've got laws that allow them to get your name from your ISP and to sue you into bankruptcy for file-sharing. They've got laws to criminalize the math to defeat DRM. They're after laws to let them design TVs and camcorders"

Netflix takes over Wal-Mart DVD rental business

Netflix takes over Wal-Mart DVD rental business: "Well, it looks like Wal-Mart%u2019s master plan to bankrupt Netflix didn%u2019t quite turn out %u2014 the world%u2019s largest retailer is now essentially surrenduring to the much smaller internet startup and turning over their DVD rental business. The agreement specifies that Wal-Mart will offer its existing online rental customers the chance to continue their subscriptions under Netflix at their current price for the next year, and begin promoting the Netflix service in its website. In turn, Netflix will remind its customers that they can purchase DVDs from Walmart.com %u2014 awww, isn%u2019t that nice? Of course, Netflix still has Blockbuster to contend with, but it%u2019s a major victory to have at least knocked Wal-Mart out of the running."

its good when the good guys win!!!

Happy Mondays to headline another summer festival

Happy Mondays to headline another summer festival: "The baggy veterans, now well into their second reunion after shows in London over the past year, will appear at the surf and rock party on July 23."

rave on bez!!!

The Beeb Shall Inherit the Earth

The Beeb Shall Inherit the Earth: "While Hollywood locks down American culture with draconian copyright restrictions, across the pond one of the world's leading broadcasters is embracing the digital future. Blogger and sci-fi author Cory Doctorow sings the praises of the BBC."

informative and well argued, but what else would one expect from mr. doctorow! now someone in hollywood hire him before you all go down with the ship!!!

Washington State Outlaws Spyware

Washington State Outlaws Spyware: "'Today, the Governor of Washington signs a a bill outlawing spyware (bill history) which imposes penalties of $100,000 per violation. Spyware is broadly defined. It includes everything from changing a browser's bookmarks or homepage settings, 'Opening multiple, sequential, stand-alone advertisements in the owner or operator's internet browser', keystroke-logging, taking over control of the computer, modify its security settings, and even 'Falsely representing that computer software has been disabled.' But here is my favorite: 'Prevent, through intentionally deceptive means, an owner or operator's reasonable efforts to block the installation or execution of, or to disable, computer software by causing the software that the owner or operator has properly removed or disabled automatically to reinstall or reactivate on the computer.' Microsoft and Ebay both testified in support of the bill. On May 10th, a similar law banning Internet and email phishing was also passed.'"

now those who know me, know i am super free speech guy, so i think any limits on code are not a good thing. however that said, it seems to me i remember something about unauthorized use of computers being illegal, and using instrumentalities of interstate commerce (the net) to do so seems like it would make it a federal crime. assuming those two points, and again i am a bit rusty here, but seems like its already probably illegal. if you use the net to mess with my machine with out my permission (or some fraudulently obtained assent) seems like i should either get to beat you ass or the feds should!!!

Dave Matthews's new CD DRM crashes PCs

Dave Matthews's new CD DRM crashes PCs: "Dave Matthews has released a new CD with Windows DRM that crashes your PC when you put it into your drive. And the music industry can't figure out why we'd rather download music than buy CDs."

thanks dave!!!

Ibiza announces mini rock festivals

Ibiza announces mini rock festivals: "The KAISER CHIEFS, FISCHERSPOONER, THE BRAVERY, MAXIMO PARKBABYSHAMBLES will be playing at IBIZA nightclub MANUMISSION. The Ibiza Rocks festival will kick off at the club%u2019s Manumission Music Box venue, which will also feature DJ slots from Zane Lowe. %u201CRight now, it feels like there is a lessening division between rock %u2018n%u2019 roll and clubs,%u201D said Lowe of the event which is been organised in conjunction with the Barfly. %u201CThere is desire for rock kids to dance and dance kids to rock. This summer, Ibiza will become a breeding ground for both. Let's see how their kids turn out.%u201D"

Excursions at the Speed of Light

Excursions at the Speed of Light: "'S/F fans can finally find out what you really get to see at relativistic velocity, and tourists are one step closer to 'doing Europe in a day' in these amazing Space Time Travel simulations of the Theoretical Astrophysics & Computational Physics department at the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics Tubingen. They put you in a driver's seat that both Armstrong the Astronaut and Armstrong the Cyclist would equally enjoy, in simulators built to ride a bike at the speed of light.'"

How Battlestar Galactica Killed TV

How Battlestar Galactica Killed TV: "'Following up on the MPAA going after torrent sites, you may be interested in Mindjack's latest feature - Piracy is Good? How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV by Mark Pesce. It includes a post-script written in reponse to the recent Torrent site shutdowns.' From the article: 'While you might assume the SciFi Channel saw a significant drop-off in viewership as a result of this piracy, it appears to have had the reverse effect: the series is so good that the few tens of thousands of people who watched downloaded versions told their friends to tune in on January 14th, and see for themselves. From its premiere, Battlestar Galactica has been the most popular program ever to air on the SciFi Channel, and its audiences have only grown throughout the first series. Piracy made it possible for 'word-of-mouth' to spread about Battlestar Galactica.'"

L.A. Derby Dolls Official Website

L.A. Derby Dolls Official Website: "Here's where to get all the latest news on L.A's premiere all-girl banked track roller derby league!!!"

Hilary Rosen Gripes About iPod, iTMS

Hilary Rosen Gripes About iPod, iTMS: "'Hilary Rosen, the former RIAA CEO and chairwoman, has spoken out against Apple's 'lock-in' with iPod and the iTunes Music Store.' From the article: 'The problem is that the iPod only works with either songs that you buy from the on-line Apple iTunes store or songs that you rip from your own CD's.' Ironically, she appeals to consumer rights and anti-monopoly tactics.'"

glad she' s got my back!!!

Google Acquires Dodgeball

Google Acquires Dodgeball: "'Dodgeball.com, a service that uses mobile phones to help people meet up with friends who are in the same location, said on its website on Wednesday that it has been bought by Web search leader Google Inc. Also available on the official site is a Q&A about the deal.' From the article: 'As a two-person team, Alex and I have taken dodgeball about a far as we can alone. Since we finished grad school, we've been trying to figure out how to grow dodgeball and make it a better service along the way. We talked to a lot of different angel investors and venture capitalists, but no one really 'got' what we were doing - that is until we met Google.'"

fuk yeah! dodgeball is one of the coolest things i have heard about in a while, superfuture!!!

Self-Replicating Robots

Self-Replicating Robots: "ABC News is running a story that self-replicating robots are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Scientists at Cornell University have created small robots that can build copies of themselves. Here is a movie demonstrating the self-replication process. And the paper that will be published in Thursdays issue of Nature."

no joke here we go!!!

Real-ID Passes U.S. Senate 100-0

Real-ID Passes U.S. Senate 100-0: "'The U.S. Senate has passed the $82 billion Iraq Supplemental Spending Bill (approved by the House last week), which includes the Real ID act driver's license reform (previously reported here.) The National Governors Association has indicated at the possibility of a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the Real ID provisions, which would create national driver's license standards, and a federal database of information from all 50 states."

don't look now but here comes your big bro!!!

Court Nixes 'Broadcast Flag'

Court Nixes 'Broadcast Flag': "In a blow to the entertainment industry, a federal appeals court on Friday found that federal regulators overstepped their authority by requiring consumer-electronics manufacturers to help restrict digital home recording."

Soderbergh, Cuban, Wagner's 2929: Break all the windows.

Soderbergh, Cuban, Wagner's 2929: Break all the windows.: "When I interviewed Mark Cuban earlier this year for a Wired Magazine feature on digital cinema (link), he mentioned plans to change the way movies are released. Here's how it works in Hollywood now: new releases are made available on DVD and pay-TV some time after they've left theaters. That 'window' of time has been shrinking in recent decades. Cuban said that his distribution company 2929 Entertainment, which he runs with business partner Todd Wagner, saw no point in this delay. 'Let's release everything all at once, and let the consumer decide,' their argument goes. Several months later, they're making good on those plans. Earlier this week, news broke that 2929 is doing just that, with Steven Soderbergh. The director will release six films through 2929 so that theater release, DVD and pay-TV all occur on the same day."

i've been saying this for years now. had some interesting conversations about it to, but looks like its gona get a go! can't wait to see if it works! i'm a believer!!!

Orphan Works

Orphan Works: "The US Copyright Office recently asked for public comment on the 'orphan works' problem."

please comment by may 9th, its important!!!

List of Good Wireless Internet Sites

List of Good Wireless Internet Sites: "No more waiting for a complex site to load up while you get bombarded with charges by your carrier! Use a portal made for you mobile device. These portals collect sites, which are made to be used on small screens. They keep a controlled amount of images in order to have the site load quickly on your personal device. After looking over a bunch of sites I found Web On Your Cell to be the most useful. It combines the needs of users and displays it in a usable format. This site loads extremely fast and has the best sites available for mobile devices. Through this site you have fast easy access to email, sports scores, news, TV guide, movie times, yellow pages, and much more."

Google-Yahoo Traffic Maps

Google-Yahoo Traffic Maps: more google map craziness this time combining traffic info from yahoo!!!

Indy.TV

Indy.TV: "Indy is a music discovery program that learns what you like, and plays more of it. And it's free. Indy makes it easy for you to find great new independent music. Just download Indy and double-click: as it plays songs, you rate what you hear. Indy quickly learns what you like and gets really smart about sending you more music you'll like. Let Indy help you find your place in the collective conciousness as you help other people find theirs."

from ian clarke and downhill battle, nice!!! review to come....

Austin City Limits - 2005 Festival

Austin City Limits - 2005 Festival: "the 2005 Festival bill. Coldplay
Widespread Panic
Oasis
The Black Crowes
Wilco
Jet
Thievery Corporation
Arcade Fire
Death Cab for Cutie
Bob Mould
Built to Spill
Bloc Party
Franz Ferdinand
Sleater-Kinney
Kasabian
The Doves
The Walkmen
Rilo Kiley
The Secret Machines
The Decemberists
The Bravery
Mates of State"

and about a gazillion others!!! hope its on the show!!!

PSP UMD Game Format Cracked

PSP UMD Game Format Cracked: "Well, the hits just keep on coming. Paradox has released ISO files of several PSP games.
So far, the following titles are reported to have been ripped:Vampire_Chronicle_The_Chaos_Tower_JAP_PSP-PARADOX [407.4MB in 29 files].
Wipeout_Pure_USA_PSP-PARADOX [132.9MB in 10 files].
Ridge_Racers_JAP_PSP-PARADOX [491.4MB in 35 files]."

seems umd is not as secure as its claimed to be. bummer. could have save sony r&d and everyone elses' hassle by just using cd!!!

Nike and Bausch & Lomb’s MaxSight performance-enhancing lenses

Nike and Bausch & Lomb's MaxSight performance-enhancing lenses: "Ok, performance enhancing drugs, bad; but once we start getting into the realm of installable body mods things get a little sticky. We’ve got a feeling the jury’s still out on MaxSight lenses though; codeveloped by Nike (who else?) and Bausch & Lomb and just about ready to market, they’re designed to help players better track the objects and movement, increase contrast, and reduce glare (we're trying to avoid the obvious 28 Days Later/zombie jokes here). And they’re apparently already making their way into MLB by way of the Orioles' second baseman Brian Roberts. But you know, it's all fun and games until somebody’s down in the outfield on all fours screaming, 'My contact, my contact!'"

for thoes who don't no me well, i am not the sports guy (other than, transition, mountains and waves). but i am very interested in the idea of performance enhancement in sport. it became quite a hot topic for me over the summer when at cambridge i butted heads with almost everyone in my class over the idea.

anyway one of my arguments was that drugs are not the only methods of performance enhancement. here is just another in a long list!!! (i may come back and get cites for a few of the other examples, or fee free to google: "plato drugs and sports easy jet magazine", "nike golf balls", "nike house runners presurized wired magazine", "arm ligament surgery pitchers wired magazine") and a big up to all cambridge crew that made me think hard about the issue!!!

iPod shuffle share jumps to 58 percent

iPod shuffle share jumps to 58 percent: "Apple's share of the US flash-player MP3 market grew from 43 percent in February to 58 percent in March, according to research firm NPD. Apple's share of the US hard-disk player market was also at 90 percent, while the iTunes Music Store marketshare was above 70 percent in April."

i'm sorry 90% of the hard-disk market! and 58% of flash in 3 months! thats insane! if the products weren't so good i'd worry about monopoly issues!!!

Azureus Decentralizes Bittorrent

Azureus Decentralizes Bittorrent: "'While the eXeem project to decentralize Bittorrent remains in open beta, the Azureus Java Bittorrent project has recently released a major update that, among other things offers 'a distributed, decentralised database that can be used to track decentralised torrents. This permits both 'trackerless' torrents and the maintenance of swarms where the tracker has become unavailable or where the torrent was removed from the tracker.' It doesn't contain the search functionality of eXeem, but it's also not a beta product and is licensed under the GPL. Could this and compatible clients be the replacement to SuprNova and Lokitorrents, or does the lack of search negate its effectiveness?'"

this one could be the perfect p2p to avoid closure!!! this is gona be interesting!!!

Near Perfect "Einstein Ring" Discovered

Near Perfect "Einstein Ring" Discovered: "Gravitational lensing happens when the gravity of a relatively close galaxy acts as a telescope lens to focus the light from a more distant galaxy. It allows astronomers to see distant objects they could never have a hope of observing with current instruments, essentially looking back to moments after the Big Bang (cosmically speaking). The galaxies are never perfectly lined up, though, and the 'natural telescope' is a bit blurry. But now astronomer Remi Cabanac has found one of the most complete lenses ever discovered: a near perfect Einstein Ring, magnifying a distant galaxy with incredible clarity."

Comic Art Effect

Comic Art Effect: "Use this baby to convert your digital pictures and scans into comic book style illustrations."

Tim Burgess fronts Starsailor

Tim Burgess fronts Starsailor: "TIM BURGESS celebrated the US release of his solo album in LOS ANGELES last night by performing a gig with members of STARSAILOR as his band. Burgess' set at the Viper Room club drew an all-star crowd that included Robbie Williams as well as Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwan and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody. Performing for almost an hour, Burgess used members of Starsailor, who are in LA recording their third album, as his backing band. The tiny club was jam packed with fans from the UK and the US, in town for this weekend's Coachella music festival. 'I think of this as a pre-Coachella gig, with me at the top of the bill,' the singer joked during his set. In addition to performing tracks "Oh My Corazon" and "I Believe in the Sprit" off his new record, Burgess performed three Charlatans tunes including "North Country Boy", which he dedicated to his bandmates in Britain."

i kind of thought something was going on...just didn't know what! but wow robbie williams!!! crazy!!!

Bush Signs Law Targeting P2P Pirates

Bush Signs Law Targeting P2P Pirates: "'CNet is reporting that President Bush signed into law the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act (previously-reported). A lawbreaker can land in jail for up to three years for distributing a single copy of a prerelease movie on the Internet. The MPAA's president Dan Glickman applauded the move, stating he wanted to 'thank the congressional sponsors of this legislation for their strong advocacy for intellectual property rights.''"

Apex AD-1250X supports DivX, WMA

Apex AD-1250X supports DivX, WMA: "This probably won%u2019t impress fans of the Pioneer
DV-588A-S or the now-discontinued Philips DVP-642, but Apex has released the AD-1250X, a DVD player that handles
multiple formats, including MP3, WMA and DivX. At an SRP of $69, however, it severely undercuts the Pioneer (which goes
for about $189 street). Apex also says all of its new DVD players will be DivX-certified, which should be good news to
anyone with tons of movies on their PC looking for a cheap way to get them over to the TV."

The Weekend Adventure

The Weekend Adventure: its that time of year again boys and girls!!!

Amazon directory of free MP3 downloads

Amazon directory of free MP3 downloads: "Amazon has put together a single page listing all the free, no-DRM MP3s you can download from their site, as promos for CDs."

Watch Free, Live Internet Television - The ManiaTV! Network

Watch Free, Live Internet Television - The ManiaTV! Network new on web mtv like thingy....jurys out!!!

update, its wak!!!

Streaming Audio 10 Years Old

Streaming Audio 10 Years Old: "'This month, streaming audio turns 10. Though first introduced by Real, streaming multimedia is so commonplace today it's hard to believe that it didn't even exist 10 years ago. In line with one of their previous press releases, RealNetworks has released a mysterious website and letter from CEO Rob Glaser celebrating 10 years of Internet streaming audio, as well as announcing a yet-to-be-revealed 'revolution' in digital media. 'On April 26, we are changing the rules of the Internet again, and digital music will never be the same.' Here is their press release from 1995 (when they were still Progressive Networks) announcing the first streaming Internet multimedia.'"

The Revenge of The *Beeeep*

TROTSS.COM - The Revenge of The *Beeeep*: "Welcome to TROTSS. This site is truly dedicated to the newly established The Revenge Of The *Bleep* group. To be reminded that this is not the official site for TROTSS, yet .. im dedicating this site for updates and stuff relating to TROTSS. We miss you guys on the show and hope one day you all will be have your own proper show again."

Personal Coverage Check

Personal Coverage Check: T-Mobile Digital Coverage map, down to street address!!!

Screen Savers gang do a podcast

Screen Savers gang do a podcast: "The Screen Savers was a terrific show on the grand old TechTV. When the network was bought out by G4, they killed the show and turned it into something cool (but different) called Attack of the Show. The original Screen Savers gang are now doing a Skype-based podcast called Revenge of the Screen Savers. The first podcast is a fun bullshit session between old friends, talking about their phones, their lives, and the demise of Screen Savers."

French court bans DRM for DVDs

French court bans DRM for DVDs: "'A French appeal court just issued a ruling preventing the inclusion of anti-copying measure on DVD. This is after a man who was not able to copy a DVD he purchase to a VHS cassette so he can watch it at his mother's place. Which is considered private copying and is a consumer right in France. He got the help of a consumer protection group to sue the Film Studio that produced the DVD. Film studios have one month to unprotect DVDs (I assume it is not for DVD that you already own).'"

Fabchannel.Com

Fabchannel.Com: Live and on demand concerts from Paradiso Amsterdam in broadband streaming video!!!

big up to rob for the tip, thanks man. bummer though doesn't function in safari, so bust out yer ie.

Digital Copyright

Digital Copyright: "The Future of Copyrighting Cultural Expression, Will Digital Media Create the Most Oppressive Copyright Laws in History? April 14, 2005: The Politics of Digital Copyright debate at Cornell University"

My summer home

My summer home: Cambridge CB3 0DG, the Fitz!!!

AN EVENING WITH BRIAN ENO AND DANNY HILLIS: THINKING AFTER EINSTEIN

AN EVENING WITH BRIAN ENO AND DANNY HILLIS: THINKING AFTER EINSTEIN:
Monday, April 25, 8:00 p.m.
$30 General, $25 Members, $20 Students
Advance tickets: (866) 468-3399 or (service charges apply)
Listen in on a conversation between two of the most innovative thinkers of our times. Legendary musician, producer, and visual artist Brian Eno sits down with scientist and technical wizard Danny Hillis to discuss their inventive careers and explore the theme of creativity. Both Eno and Hillis are board members of the Long Now Foundation, an organization that aims to promote "slower/better" thinking.

Canadians May Face 25% Download Tariff

Canadians May Face 25% Download Tariff: "'While Canadians have battled against an iPod tariff for more than a year, now comes news that Canada's copyright collectives are seeking a tariff on iTunes as well. Professor Michael Geist (who last week dismantled music industry claims about peer-to-peer) reports that one collective is demanding an incredible 25% of the gross revenue of music download services as well as 15% of webcasters' gross revenue and 10% of gamers gross revenue (free version of report or Toronto Star reg. version). When combined with other tariff proposals, it would appear that Canada's collectives want to the kill the download industry, demanding at least 40% of everything iTunes, Napster, and other new services earn.'"

can you imagine a retail store asking for a 25% tax on gas to cover shrinkage since cars might be used to drive to and from a store in which theft occurs?!?!? wtf!!!

InPhase announces 300GB holographic discs

InPhase announces 300GB holographic discs: "Forget about perpendicular recording; that’s so last week. If Colorado- based InPhase Technologies has its way, the next big advance in data storage will be holographic media. The company — which rolled out a prototype holographic drive earlier this year — announced today that it has produced a holographic disc that can hold 300GB on a single disc. InPhase says that the discs (which will be write-once media) and compatible drives should ship next year, with terabyte discs available by 2009. According to the company, its holographic technology records “through the full depth” of the storage media, and can record data a million bits at a time. We figure it should be able to hold our whole movie collection, with room left over for some lossless music as well."

STAR WARS REVELATIONS

STAR WARS REVELATIONS: just before the final installment, a bonus!!!

NIN's Trent Reznor releases song as GarageBand file

NIN's Trent Reznor releases song as GarageBand file: "On nin.com, Trent Reznor is offering a complete mix of a song from the forthcoming Nine Inch Nails album as a Garageband 2.0 file. The CD/vinyl is due out on May 3. Snip from the README:
'For quite some time I've been interested in the idea of allowing you the ability to tinker around with my tracks - to create remixes, experiment, embellish or destroy what's there. I tried a few years ago to do this in shockwave with very limited results. After spending some quality time sitting in hotel rooms on a press tour, it dawned on me that the technology now exists and is already in the hands of some of you. I got to work experimenting and came up with something I think you'll enjoy. What I'm giving you in this file is the actual multi-track audio session for 'the hand that feeds' in GarageBand format. This is the entire thing bounced over from the actual Pro Tools session we recorded it into. I imported and converted the tracks into AppleLoop format so the size would be reasonable and the tempo flexible.'"

big up trent!!!

Hollywood Looks to BitTorrent for Distribution

Hollywood Looks to BitTorrent for Distribution: "'Vinton Cerf, who wrote the original TCP/IP protocol and is currently chairman of ICANN, said this week he had recently discussed BitTorrent with at least two interested movie producers. 'I know personally for a fact that various members of the movie industry are really getting interested in how to use the Internet--even BitTorrent--as a distributed method for distributing content,' Cerf said. 'I've spoken with several movie producers in the last month.''"

Peak oil article in Rolling Stone

Peak oil article in Rolling Stone: "Peak Oil, refers to the year at which oil production hits the peak of a bell curve, and after which oil production goes down, tapering to zero...."

Google Readies Platform for Video Distribution

Google Readies Platform for Video Distribution: "'According to BetaNews, 'Google is preparing a video distribution platform that provides a complete ecosystem of services for content producers, publishers and end-users.' The first phase of its video upload program rolled out today, and 'content owners will be able to control distribution rights themselves, even setting a price for their video clips. Eventually, users will be able to search, preview, purchase and play videos directly from within Google.''"

if played right, this could be what ifilm should have been. a totally workable commercial solution for independent video distribution, a place where indie film/tv makers can distribute there wares and make a modest profit!!!

Michael Weiss Interview

Michael Weiss Interview: "'Zeropaid has an interview with Michael Weiss, CEO of StreamCast Networks, maker of Morpheus. Michael has been involved in MGM v Grokster since the beginning, and provides a clear, thorough timeline of events since then. He also details interesting insights of his own into the future of the p2p space, including some new ad models.'"

Apple Q2 Financial Results Conference Call

Apple Q2 Financial Results Conference Call:
question: what is the future of music?

answer: iTunes profits a little above break even, Hard Drive based marketshare 90%, Flash based 43% (0% to 43% in the month of availability), 70% overall market share for Feb. Up from December Quarter.

not sure how this ends but year over year revenue is up 500%. during a recession!!!

**Joy Division @ Bowdon Vale 1979 **

**Joy Division @ Bowdon Vale 1979 **: an exhibit of fotos from 3 months prior to the Unknown Pleasures release.

Surprises Lurk in Satellite Snaps

Surprises Lurk in Satellite Snaps: "the unexpected appearance of the pre-event Burning Man construction is hardly the only surprise in Google's database of satellite images. And other satellite imagery companies say that they, too, are often startled by what they find when they analyze the hundreds of shots they take daily."

Music Industry P2P Claims Dismantled

Music Industry P2P Claims Dismantled: "'First Monday runs a great article this month from Canadian law professor Michael Geist that dismantles the recording industry's claims about the peer-to-peer. Using actual data from Canada, Piercing the P2P Myths, demonstrates that the loss claims are greatly exaggerated and that P2P has had little, if any impact on the income of the artists themselves.' From the article: 'The Canadian government has been the target of intense lobbying for stronger copyright legislation in recent months. Led by the music industry, which claims that it has experienced significant financial losses due to music downloading, the campaign culminated in November 2004 with a lobby day on Parliament Hill.'"

Grokster Oral Arguments.pdf

Grokster Oral Arguments.pdf an extremely interesting read. kind of scary though. so much is at stake and so little seems understood. bummer!!!

US govt uses BitTorrent

US govt uses BitTorrent: "'First Bittorrent hosted off a .gov domain. Tracks the releases of World Wind since it was saturating the bandwidth of the direct download.'"

sounds capable of non-infringing use!!!

Congress Debates Forced Music Compatibility

Congress Debates Forced Music Compatibility:The download music industry is fighting a proposal by US Congress to force them to make all downloaded music compatible.

probably a great step for consumers. interestingly though is that this is an issue for congress when one company has a 60-70% marketshare. in the past these problems were swept under the rug when some suggested it would be nice if there were software or file compatibility ensured by congress. it that later one unnamed company has somewhere near 90% market share. hummm wonder whose paying for the next election cycle? probably not the consumers!!!

Sony Patents Matrix-Like Game Technology

Sony Patents Matrix-Like Game Technology: "'Reuters is reporting that Sony has been granted 2 patents, both describing 'Method and system for generating sensory data onto the human neural cortex'. These are patents 6,729,337 and 6,536,440. The patents go on to 'describe a technique for aiming ultrasonic pulses at specific areas of the brain to induce sensory experiences such as smells, sounds and images'. The story was first broken by New Scientist magazine.' Commentary also available via Ars Technica."

jack me in!!!

Court rules common law protects recordings

Court rules common law protects recordings: "New York's highest court ruled Tuesday that common law protects a record company's copyright on recordings made prior to 1972 -- a decision that could have industrywide ramifications for everything from Bach to the Beatles. That lawsuit involved Franklin, Tenn.-based Naxos of America Inc., which restored and marketed 1930s classical records made in England by another company, The Gramaphone Co. Limited, after the 50-year British copyright had expired. Hollywood, Calif.-based Capitol Records Inc., which currently holds the rights to those recordings, sued. A federal court dismissed Capitol's suit, saying federal copyright law only protected recordings since 1972, and Capitol had no common-law protections under New York state law. Capitol appealed the common-law finding to the New York Court of Appeals, which ruled in its favor. A federal appeals court will now rule on the company's lawsuit using the state court's decision."

supremes here we come again! wow is there no end to the extension of copyright? btw this post is posted under the cc except for the INFRINGING QUOTE ABOVE, I STOLE!!!

Universal Amphitheatre gets new name

Universal Amphitheatre gets new name: "The Universal Amphitheatre is being rechristened the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk as part of a joint partnership among instrument maker Gibson Guitar Corp., Universal Studios Partnerships and House of Blues Concerts. The 10-year pact with the Nashville-based instrument maker -- which markets Gibson, Epiphone and Dobro guitars, Steinberger basses, Slingerland drums and Baldwin pianos -- also will entail a partnership with House of Blues on a select number of special events at the Universal City venue. HOB operates the amphitheater and books more than 100 shows per year there. Gibson also will be afforded new production and product-placement opportunities via its association with NBC Universal. USP and Gibson executives declined to put a dollar value on the agreement, but sources indicate the deal is worth $10 million-$15 million. The target for an official opening for the Gibson Amphitheatre is late summer"

as much as i respect gibson, this is bull shit!!!

Glastonbury sells out

Glastonbury sells out: "All 112,000 tickets for June’s festival – which went on sale at 9am this morning – have sold out in under three hours"

Its All Gone Pete Tong Redux

To whom ever from Matson Films invited me to the New York shows, thank you very much! I wish I could attend, but unfortunately I am in California. However if you have a screening out here I'd love to go. Thanks again for the invitation, it is sincerely appreciated.

Modified Prius gets up to 180 Miles Per Gallon

Modified Prius gets up to 180 Miles Per Gallon: "'The NY Times (free reg. required) reports in that some folks are not content with the no-plug-in rule that both Honda and Toyota endorse. By modifying a Prius so that it can be plugged in, Ron Gremban of CalCars states 'I've gotten anywhere from 65 to over 100 miles per gallon'. The article also reports that 'EnergyCS, a small company that has collaborated with CalCars, has modified another Prius with more sophisticated batteries; they claim their Prius gets up to 180 mpg, and can travel more than 30 miles on battery power.''"

Official Website for It's All Gone Pete Tong

Official Website for It's All Gone Pete Tong: to say more would ruin it. trust in tong!!!

Box Office Mojo

Box Office Mojo: check out all kinds of bo data!!!

thanks justin!!!

Old Time Radio Shows

RadioLovers.com - Old Time Radio Shows: perfect for you pod!!!

It's All Gone Pete Tong

It's All Gone Pete Tong, to say more would ruin it!!!

Guerrilla News Network

Guerrilla News Network: "Guerrilla News Network is an independent news organization with headquarters in New York City and production facilities in Berkeley, California. Our mission is to expose people to important global issues through cross-platform guerrilla programming."

big ups to chris for pointing me in the right direction!!!

The Happy Mondays and The Farm roll back the years

The Happy Mondays and The Farm roll back the years: "'It's like 1989 all over again."

BitTorrent Inherently Illegal?

BitTorrent Inherently Illegal?: "'Today I received a letter from my university's network administration advising me that my network access would be terminated due to 'illegal P2P activity.' The P2P activity that the e-mail cited was BitTorrent and the file being transferred was an update to the Azureus BitTorrent client. The letter stated, 'Until the courts decide that student P2P activity is permitted we will continue to block this activity on our network,' implying that BitTorrent is inherently illegal. It seems such misunderstandings are common, but it is particularly frustrating when coming from people in the IT field. How can a student respond to such an accusation in order to defend the validity of BitTorrent and continue to benefit from its legitimate uses?'"

BIG UP TO B!!!!

BIG BIG UPS TO THE OUR MAN IN ORLANDO! B's DONE!!! WORD MY MAN!!!

Yahoo! Search CC

Yahoo! Search CC: "This Yahoo! Search service finds content across the Web that has a Creative Commons license. While most stuff you find on the web has a full copyright, this search helps you find content published by authors that want you to share or reuse it, under certain conditions"

How the Spam Industry is Sustained

Slashdot | How the Spam Industry is Sustained: "'The BBC has an interesting article about spam and why it's still around. According to a survey, nearly 1/3 of users have clicked on spam messages and 1/10 have bought products advertised therein. 'If no-one responded to junk e-mail and didn't buy products sold in this way, then spam would be as extinct as the dinosaurs.''"

that 1/3 and 1/10 should be shot, drawn, quartered and burned on tv for all to see. stop fucking up my world assholes!!!

Web Design Hampers Mobile Internet?

Web Design Hampers Mobile Internet?: "'Reuters is running an article on how flashy web design is impacting the usability of internet-enabled mobile devices, with quotes from Tim Berners-Lee. Although the article is sparse on details, it is an interesting topic for discussion. Having recently bought an internet-enabled cellphone, I can honestly say that most websites are painful to view on a 240x320 screen over a GPRS connection(EVDO is expensive/US-only). Have we moved away from 56K-modem-oriented design, only to be pulled back in that direction?'"

i couldn't agree more, fuck flash!!! but why listen to me, tim along with his friends basically invented the fucking thing anyway!!!

Hate Fred and Veronica? Try David and Linda

Hate Fred and Veronica? Try David and Linda: " Cepstral builds high quality, natural sounding voices available for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, even Solaris. They currently offer 18 voices in 6 different languages. David, the newest voice, is optimized for reading news and browser content and all the voices integrate seamlessly with Apple’s Speech Manager. The voices are free to try, $30 to buy."

A History of Icons

A History of Icons: "'The GUIdebook has a great page illustrating the history of icons. Of course, they have the Lisa/Mac/OS X paths, but there's the Windows progressions, along with entries for NeXT, OS/2, BeOS, and yes, Linux. Would you call it progress?'"

MarkShell.zip

MarkShell.zip: my latest new widget to make my life easier! basically its a prompt that can do any of number of commands i do frequently!!!

Ultaportable Apps: Take Your Thumbware Anywhere

Ultaportable Apps: Take Your Thumbware Anywhere: "'On his blog, Jeremy Wagstaff makes available a list of the apps now packaged for USB thumbdrives. He also wrote these up in WSJ but that will cost you. My personal favorite is the FireFox in a box...every where I went, I had a different crop of bookmarks, now my browsing is the same wherever I go.'"

13 Things That Do Not Make Sense

13 Things That Do Not Make Sense: "'New Scientist is reporting on 13 things which do not make sense. It's an interesting article about 13 areas in which observations do not line up with current theory. From the placebo effect to dark matter, it's a list of areas in need of additional research. Explanations could lead to significant breakthroughs... or at least new and different errors in scientific observations. Now there are 20 interesting problems for Slashdotters to work on, once you combine these with the seven Millennium Problems!'"

Fiona Apple Is Cookin' on the Net

Fiona Apple Is Cookin' on the Net: "Songs from Fiona Apple's latest album are widely available on the internet and are being played on the radio, but much to the chagrin of fans, the album can't be bought for love or money."

seems to me someone in the music industry needs to watch i am trying to break your heart, 'cause we have already seen how this one ends!!!

Buying DRM-Free Songs From the ITMS

Buying DRM-Free Songs From the ITMS: "'Jon Johansen ('DVD Jon') has published a small program which allows the acquisition of DRM-free file from Apple's iTunes Music Store. He explains that his program works by bypassing iTunes which adds the DRM itself at the end of the transfer. His program, pymusique, is Windows-only compliant but it'd be easy to port it to other platforms.'"

Code Wiki

Code Wiki: looks like Mr. Lessig wants some input!!!

THE.SCENE.05

THE.SCENE.05: NYY student Brian Sandro has a secret: he and his friends pirate hundreds of millions of dollars of illicit Hollywood movies in their spare time. They are revered, reviled, hunted, and admired. No one knows who they are - at least, not as far as they know."

a really interesting concept: an online only show, split screen, mostly delivered in text (which alone is a crazy idea), delivered via bit torrent, the whole thing is nutz but it works!!!

Google Meets OSX

Google Meets OSX: check the latest from the labs, seems they like the dock!!!

Rotation Archive

Rotation Archive:
Creation Nation
The Futureheads
HTML
Indie 103.1
JavaScript
The Libertines
The O.C.
Razorlight
Stars
The West Wing

New Order uses Bluetooth posters to send music clips direct to cellphones

New Order uses Bluetooth posters to send music clips direct to cellphones: "The marketing campaign for the upcoming New Order (yes, that New Order — Blue Monday, anyone?) album, Waiting for the Sirens Call, marks an innovation in music promotion, with the development and display of digital interactive posters offering song clips, ringtones and photos that can be beamed directly to fans’ cellphones. The posters use both infrared and Bluetooth to send the data directly to phones, bypassing network charges to fans or to the band’s label, and making New Order to first group to hand out free music clips direct to cellphones. The digital posters will be displayed in HMV stores in London and Manchester in the UK, sweeties — who said there’s no such thing as a free ringtone?"

Movies, Technology and the Future of Viewing

Movies, Technology and the Future of Viewing: "Movies, Technology and the Future of Viewing, Talk of the Nation, It's been a long time since movies were only available in theaters. But now there are movies on demand over cable TV; compressed films in digital files; and DVDs in the mail. Technology is changing how we watch movies, and it may even change what we watch. We examine the future of movies:
Chris Anderson, editor in chief, Wired magazine
Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix
Dean Garfield, legal affairs director, Motion Picture Association of America"

real stream!!!

RIAA Lawsuits from a John Doe's Perspective

RIAA Lawsuits from a John Doe's Perspective: "'Nick Mamatas was sued by and subsequently settled with the RIAA for file sharing. He wrote a piece for the Village Voice describing his experience, and he goes on to briefly discuss the implications of 'John Doe' file-sharing lawsuits. He argues that the labels are using these suits as a source of profit; he also claims that when his lawyer contacted the RIAA to discuss the suit, he was put in touch with a regular staffer, not another lawyer. 'It feels like they're doing a volume business,' Mamatas' lawyer notes.'"

Music Piracy Unit Raids ISP in BitTorrent Assault

Music Piracy Unit Raids ISP in BitTorrent Assault: "'Australia's music industry piracy investigations unit has raided an Internet service provider in Perth, Australia in what it says is the first Australian assault on the use of BitTorrent technology for copyright infringement. Outgoing Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI) general manager, Michael Speck, said the raid was launched this afternoon at the offices of Swiftel Communications.'"

P2P (More) Legal in France

P2P (More) Legal in France: "'A french appeal court ruled yesterday in favour of somebody who downloaded about 500 movies, on the ground that those were private copies, and that he didn't redistributed them, and that a tax was payed on blank media. This sets the huge precedent that P2P is legal over there. For the details, apparently no distinction was made on the method used to download the movies (upload issues) and the famous EUCD directive was even used by the defending lawyer.' You'll want the fish for this one, unless you speak French."

Roger McNamee On Video on the Internet

Roger McNamee On Video on the Internet: "'Roger McNamee, venture capitalist and author of The New Normal has just posted the third part of a fascinating series on his blog entitled 'Video on the Internet'. Here are parts one and two. His basic premise is that media companies are trying to treat the internet as a normal distribution channel like broadcast or DVD, but they need to learn that there are new rules to this game if they are to avoid the errors committed by the music industry. The user comments are also a must read, with luminaries like Marc Andreessen chiming in with their insights.'"

very very interesting, and i am only part way through. but 2 things the article has me thinking about, that i have yet to see addressed... 1) programers as infrastructure and 2) audience desire for low interactivity.

1) it seems to me programers are in no hurry to adopt new models that may end their legacy of control. there are arguments about the ability or lack there of for monitizing unprogrammed content. and both sides have merit, however i believe the real hurdle like that we have witnessed play out in the music industry is a fear of change and loss of control. who wants their job programming prime-time to be usurped 10 year old timmy who wants to watch transformer reruns over er. but my take on the future is timmy is smarter than the programers and like marc's friend (see comment 4) is already watching what he wants with no commercial interruptions or viewing fee.

2) almost always, and i am generalizing so feel free to flame, technology versed people make the argument that all audiences want interactivity. such is not always the case, some viewers like to just sit in front of the "idiot box" and not interact, not think and generally just be bombarded with mindless content for hours on end. interactive possibilities promised by the coming of ip based broadcasting is not the end all. it is merely a new option and far from the holy grail often thought as the driving force behind this innovation.

Publishing Exploit Code Ruled Illegal In France

Publishing Exploit Code Ruled Illegal In France: "'A French Court has condemned the security researcher Guillame Tena for publishing a security vulnerability in the Viguard anti-virus software of Tegam. This ruling makes the publication of security vulnerabilities and their proof of concept through reverse engneering illegal in France.'"

DATA DESTRUCTION TOUR 2005

DATA DESTRUCTION TOUR 2005: "An unprecedented tour featuring a mobile live-chiptune assault unit consisting of underground 8-bit superstars Covox (Rebel Pet Set), Nullsleep (8bitpeoples), and Bit Shifter (555 Recordings). Game Boys and Nintendo Entertainment Systems, forcibly conscripted into the manufacture of unprecedented electronic music -- low-res, high-energy, and completely unique. Innocent melodies and deadly beats collide to form a subversive new arsenal, all delivered on video game consoles. Brace yourselves."

one question, why is this not headed to seattle?!?

AudioCubes

AudioCubes: "The idea for the audiocubes first came to mind when I was discussing tangible user interfaces with some friends who worked as recording and sound engineers. Later on I was researching how this interface could be applied in a scientific context (human-computer interaction) at the DSSP research group."

yeay! new toys for mike to build!!!

NYPL Digital Gallery

NYPL Digital Gallery: "provides access to over 275,000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints and photographs, illustrated books, printed ephemera, and more."

Teen convicted under state piracy law

Teen convicted under state piracy law: "Teen convicted under state piracy law, 18-year old college student Parvin Dhaliwal is believed to be the first person in America convicted of a crime under state law for illicit music and movie downloads. He pled guilty to charges of possession of counterfeit marks (unauthorized copies of intellectual property)."

Danceteria Flyers

Danceteria Flyers: "During the early 1980s, Rudolf's Danceteria was a prime partying place for the NYC scene. The flyers convey the artistic sensibility of this period, and bring back memories of that wild time."

WOW!!!

CBGB facing closure

CBGB facing closure: "NEW YORK’s influential punk rock venue CBGB is facing the threat of closure this summer. Following news in last week’s NME that London’s Bull And Gate is facing a less than certain future, CBGB has revealed that if lease-renewal negotiations with their landlord aren’t satisfactorily concluded by August the venue will have to close. Following recent discussions, the club’s owner Hilly Kristal has been told that his monthly rent is likely to double to $40,000, plus there’s a $91,000 in back rent also owed, MTV News reports. 'We won't be boarded up until after our lease is up' declared Kristal who changed CBGB from a Hell’s Angel hangout to the influential punk club in 1973. 'I am determined to stay, but they want me out.' The venue is also facing additional costs to bring it into line with safety codes issued in the wake of the 2003 Great White show at Station nightclub in Rhode Island, which resulted in a fatal fire. CBGB is felt by many to be the birth place of punk rock with bands including The Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie and Television serving their musical apprenticeships there during the 1970s, while the likes of The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have played there since. It is now rumoured that a consortium of musicians is being formed to help save the venue, but at present no names have been confirmed."

SAVE CBGBs!!!

Rotation Archive

Rotation Archive:
Adorable
The Faint
Franz Ferdinand
Ikara Colt
The Killers
The Libertines
The O.C.
Razorlight
Tony Scott
The Vaselines
The West Wing

New Order still feel Ian Curtis’ influence

New Order still feel Ian Curtis’ influence: "NEW ORDER say they still feel the influence of JOY DIVISION frontman IAN CURTIS. Speaking to NME.COM bassist Peter Hook said “we don’t see Joy Division as a different group apart from not having Ian there physically. He’s still there mentally. Spiritually.” The full story of New Order is told in NME out now nationwide, while a documentary about the Godlike Geniuses will air on VH2 next week (March 7). Featuring live footage and videos the programme ‘From Joy Division To New Order’ is at 7pm on the music channel and charts the Manchester pioneers’ rise."

Zero to (free) shopping cart in sixty minutes

Zero to (free) shopping cart in sixty minutes: "This cycle can feasibly be completed in under an hour; most of the time is spent filling out forms over and over again.  PayPal account verification steps may take up to 5 business days, though, but that shouldn't prevent purchases from taking place."

BBC - Languages

BBC - Languages - Homepage: learn languages from the bbc!!!

John Gilmore's Search for the Mandatory ID Law

John Gilmore's Search for the Mandatory ID Law: "'John Gilmore, the millionare who cofounded the EFF, has been prohibited from travelling because he refused to show an ID while boarding an airplane. He's been under this self-imposed ban since 2002. From the article: 'The gate agent asked for his ID. Gilmore asked her why. It is the law, she said. Gilmore asked to see the law. Nobody could produce a copy. To date, nobody has. The regulation that mandates ID at airports is 'Sensitive Security Information.' The law, as it turns out, is unavailable for inspection. What started out as a weekend trip to Washington became a crawl through the courts in search of an answer to Gilmore's question: Why?'"

GUI Pioneer Jef Raskin Has Passed Away

GUI Pioneer Jef Raskin Has Passed Away: "'Jef Raskin, GUI pioneer, interface expert, Apple employee #31, and the man most credited with the creation of the Apple Macintosh, died of cancer on Saturday February 26, 2005. It was Raskin who named it after his favorite fruit, the McIntosh apple, although he said that he changed the spelling to 'Macintosh' to avoid potential copyright conflicts with McIntosh, the audio equipment manufacturer.'"

:(

Interview With Lawrence Lessig On Future Rights

Interview With Lawrence Lessig On Future Rights: "'In an interview with the O'Reilly Network Mr. Lessig discusses many current issues that may have future legal implications. He starts with MGM's request for Certiorari in the Grokster case. His conclusion is that ReplayTV was forced out of business by a legal challenge, not a legal victory. Lessig continues on to discuss, among other things, The Creative Commons and their new Sampling License and how it may affect the way that some movies and music, that contain samples from other sources, are made in the future. From the article: 'So the same act of creativity in some sense, you know, taking, creating, mixing out of what other people do, is legal in the text world and illegal in the digital media world.''"

the man speakith, pay attention!!!

DRM for 1'3" of Silence

DRM for 1'3" of Silence: "'In the latest entry in the battle over Digital Rights Management, a fellow has blatantly ripped off a 'tune' from the iTunes Store. 'Tune' is 1 minute 3 seconds of silence. To compound his crime, he has posted the tune on his web site for anyone to download. I downloaded it to iTunes, and it played just fine (but now I suppose I'm a criminal, too). I wonder what John Cage and Mike Batt would have to say about this? Will lawyers for Apple or Ciccone Youth send a C&D letter? If I were to make my own MP3 silent tune of exactly the same length and put it online, would I be infringing their copyright?'"

interesting problem this brings up...more later.

Online anonymity

Online anonymity: "My cow-orker Fred von Lohmann's latest Law.com column is a stirring call-to-arms in defense of online anonymity: '...your Internet Service Provider knows you're not a dog. And it knows your name, address and telephone number.' In one recent case, the lawsuit and subpoena were issued in response to someone opining on an online message board that the president of a corporation had 'a Napoleon complex.' In another, the lawsuit was based on a statement that the company's executives were getting rich while the stock price was in free fall. Each of these suits was dropped once it became clear that the anonymous speaker was going to court to protect his identity, suggesting that the real purpose of the litigation was to discover whether the statements were made by employees so that the company could retaliate against them. The lawsuit was mere pretext for extra-judicial punishment.
Though these two suits were dropped, there was a sad postscript: postings to both of the message boards involved dropped off dramatically once word of the lawsuit got out, and still haven't returned to their previous levels. Courts across the country are beginning to develop some basic rules about when the anonymity of an online speaker should be protected and when it should be breached. Specifically, the emerging test, best articulated in a New Jersey appellate decision called Dendrite, holds that when a court is faced with a subpoena aimed at identifying an anonymous speaker, the court should (1) provide notice to the potential defendant and an opportunity to defend his anonymity via a motion to quash; (2) require the plaintiff to specify the statements that allegedly violate its rights; (3) review the complaint to ensure that it states a cause of action based on each statement and against each defendant; (4) require the plaintiff to produce evidence supporting each element of its claims, and (5) balance the equities, weighing the strength of plaintiff's evidence and the potential harm to the plaintiff if the subpoena is quashed against the harm to the defendant from losing his right to remain anonymous."